1988 MELISSA - Soft Baby 21.5" WEICHBABY 54065

This Gotz Play Doll - Baby Doll **MELISSA** was produced in **1988**; she measures **54cm/21.5"** tall and has a Doll ID # or Catalog Code: **54065**. She has **short, tightly curled blonde hair with tightly curled bangs**; her hair is "rooted" and styled up in a ponytail with blue ribbon. She has **BLUE**, "sleepy-eyes" with a **DECAL eye design**. She is a non-articulated, **WEICHBABY**, "**INFANT/TODDLER**" baby doll.

She is wearing a long-sleeve blue dress with a ruffled white pinafore featuring an embroidered train on the top. She also wears white knit booties.

This type of baby doll is classified by Gotz as a **"SOFT BABY"** (or "**WEICHBABY**") in German, due to its **SOFT BODY** (i.e. the torso is a soft, lightly weighted, padded cloth). These dolls have vinyl heads and limbs; some Weichbaby's knees and elbows are specifically molded to look slightly articulated; however, ***these dolls are non-articulated baby dolls***, which means *they cannot sit/stand nor move/pose any joint independently of the body*. A Weichbaby can come in a variety of sizes, from small (13") to large (21.5"), and span many age groups (i.e. newborn babies, infants, toddlers, etc).

A Weichbaby falls within the doll category: "*Play Doll*" as ***these dolls are specifically designed and created with materials capable of withstanding vigorous child play.*** These dolls are mass-produced; they may be bald; have "sculpted" and/or "painted" hair; have durable "rooted" hair (i.e. hair that has been inserted directly *into* the scalp); and either have "fixed" (i.e. painted) eyes or "sleepy-eyes" (which open/shut when a doll's position is altered). Weichbaby dolls have limbs that can be easily wiped down and cloth bodies with hair that can be easily cleaned. As dolls intended for play, their outfits are made from fabrics and materials that are selected more for their *durability* and *ease of care* than for their *appearance*. For all of these reasons, Weichbaby baby dolls tend to be the least expensive baby dolls within the Gotz doll market.

## **Catalog Information**

* Baby Doll Name: **MELISSA**
* Baby Doll Age Group: **INFANT/TODDLER**
* Year Produced: **1988**
* Baby Doll ID #/Catalog Code: **54065**
* Height in cm/inches: **54cm/21.5"**
* Torso Material: **CLOTH**
* Body Type: **SOFT-BODIED**
* German Classification: ***WEICHBABY***
* German Classification (in English): ***SOFT BABY***
* Baby Doll Type: ***PLAY DOLL***
* **Neckstamp Mold #: PLEASE ENTER HERE**
* Baby Doll Collection/Series/Line: If Applicable
* Original Cost of Doll: UNKNOWN
* Place of Production: UNKNOWN

## **Physical Characteristics**

* Hair Color: **BLONDE HAIR**
* Hair Length: **SHORT HAIR**
* Hair Style: **TIGHTLY CURLED HAIR with tightly curled bangs.**
* Hair Description: Short, tightly curled blonde hair with tightly curled bangs; her hair is styled up in a ponytail with blue ribbon**.**
* Hair Type: **ROOTED HAIR**
* Eye Color: **BLUE EYES**
* Eye Type: **SLEEPY-EYES**
* Eye Design: **DECAL**
* Other Physical Features: **NONE**

## **Articulation Classification**

* **ARTICULATION LOCATIONS: NONE**
* **ARTICULATION TYPE: Non-Articulated**

## Articulation Explained

Articulation refers to whether or not a doll ***can move one or more of its body parts* (neck; arms; legs; waist, etc) *independently of its body*** and/or **hold that body part in a pose.** Each **moveable, poseable doll body part** will typically have a ball-jointed socket, referred to as an articulation joint and each *articulation joint* is located on a specific part of the body (known as an articulation location). These *articulation locations* are then added up to classify the doll within a specific articulation type. It is important to catalog this information as many dolls share the same face mold but have different body types.

## SOFT BABY

Gotz classifies this baby doll as a **SOFT BABY** or WEICHBABY; these dolls have SOFT or CLOTH shoulders and upper thighs, which means they cannot have articulated joints. Their vinyl limbs may be designed and manufactured ***to appear*** to have slightly articulated limbs (ex. a "bent" knee or elbow); however these dolls cannot sit or stand on their own without help. Most of these dolls will share the following physical characteristics:

* **CLOTH TORSOS**: These dolls will have a white or tan; soft, padded, slightly weighted, cloth torso.
* **VINYL LIMBS**: Limbs may *appear* to be slightly articulated, but limbs do not have *actual* articulated joints.
* **CLOTH UPPER THIGHS**/Non-Articulated: These dolls do not have ball-jointed sockets; therefore, they **cannot stand on their own** (they require a doll stand) and **they cannot sit without help** (they require a hidden prop to lean against). These dolls will naturally lay flat.
* **CLOTH SHOULDERS**/Non-Articulated. These dolls have cloth shoulder joints that do not articulate.
* **VINYL or CLOTH NECK**/Non-Articulated: Some dolls within this category will either have either a cloth neck or a "fixed" vinyl neck. **Both types of necks *do not* articulate**; vinyl necks are capable of manual rotation *within* cloth doll torso, but neck does not have actual articulated joint.

## **Original Outfit Description**

Please provide a brief, detailed physical description on the appearance, material, design, etc. of this baby doll's *original outfit*.

## **Original Box**

Please describe the physical appearance of the original box this baby doll came in.