Bitty Baby

Bitty Baby is a baby doll released by American Girl. Originally marketed as Our New Baby and designed to get children used to a new baby in the family, Bitty Baby was later modified into the current line and marketed as an infant of about one year in age that young children are "caring" for. She comes with Bitty Bear. The marketing of the line is similar to the way the Just Like You dolls are, in that Bitty dolls do not come with names and have varying clothing. Currently, Bitty Baby Dolls sell for $48.

Bitty Baby Doll Anatomy
Bitty Baby dolls are 15" tall. They do not have rotating limbs like American Girl Dolls; the arms and legs are attached to the cloth body firmly. The cloth body comes down past the shoulders and thighs. The hair is molded and painted directly onto the head. Bitty Babies have sleep eyes. The neck strings fasten on the left side of the neck.

Our New Baby
See: Our New Baby

Our New Baby was the predecessor to Bitty Baby and was marketed as a baby doll that could be boy or girl. Clothes were sold for both genders, as well.

Bitty Baby
With the release of Bitty Baby in 1995, gone was the marketing of the doll as being either gender. Bitty Baby was now marketed and displayed as a baby girl. She came with Bitty Bear, who starred in the small books that came with Bitty and her outfits. The racial designations were removed from the dolls; they were now marketed by their skin tones like the American Girl of Today.

In 2000, when Mattel took over, Bitty received the different, harder eyelashes.

In 2007, extra items for Bitty Bear began to be phased out of the outfits. Outfits would come with toys or accessories, but not always items for Bitty Bear.

In 2011, three new dolls were introduced, a brown-haired, blue-eyed doll, a red-haired, blue/gray-eyed doll, and a blonde-haired, blue-eyed doll. The blonde-haired, grey-eyed doll was retired.

Bitty Baby Clothing and Accessories

 * See: List of Bitty Baby Clothing, List of Bitty Baby Accessories and Furniture

Bitty Baby clothing helps market Bitty Baby as an infant. Outfits often come with a small activity book or story starring Bitty Bear. Sometimes outfits have a Dress Like Your Doll outfit ranging for Girls' sizes 3-7. These are generally modified to be less infantile.

Some collectors put Bitty Baby outfits on 18" dolls. Pants are shorter and so appear as capri pants, and skirts can vary. Shoes generally don't fit.