Bitty Twins

Bitty Twins are twin baby dolls. Originally marketed as a boy and girl twin set that was a variation on Bitty Baby, they are now a somewhat separate line available in multiple combinations.

Differences between Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins
Unlike Bitty Baby (who is currently marketed as a girl), Bitty Twins have always had distinct boy and girl dolls. Bitty Twins have wigged hair of a generally fine, straight texture (with the exception of the "black" Bitty Twins).

Bitty Twins have been marketed as slightly older than Bitty Baby. Originally, they were about two to three years old--old enough to be self-mobile and talk, but still in diapers and one piece sleepers. It is now more appropriate to refer to them as appearing about three to four years old, which would make them preschoolers, and the dolls come in training pants instead of cloth diapers.

The dolls have the same general body structure so Bitty Baby clothes can be worn on Bitty Twins and vice versa. They are classified the same through the American Girl Hospital when setting up repairs.

2003: Original Release


The Bitty Twins were released in 2003 and marketed as young babies only slightly older than Bitty Baby. The set, a blond boy and a blond girl with a topknot, were sold in pink and blue sleepers called the Moon and Stars Sleepers. The girl had an open mouth, while the boy had a closed mouth smile. Clothing was a little more mature than Bitty Babies, with harder soled shoes and outfits for more active play. It was sold in sets that made a matching set of boy and girl outfits.

2004: Brunettes
Brunette twins were released in Fall 2004. Both sets of twins were given new sleepers, the Color Block Sleepers. The mouths were reversed; brunette girls had a closed mouth and brunette boys had an open mouth. The dolls were still marketed as boy-girl sets and could not be purchased individually direct from American Girl. The only way to have a girl-only set or boy-only set was to buy two dolls and sell or trade the unwanted twin to another collector.

2006: Remarketing
The line was remarketed in 2006, and the dolls were aged up. The girls now had longer hair that reached to the upper back; it came in ponytails that could be easily let down for a short, childish hairstyle. The boy's hairstyle did not change. Dolls were sold with training pants under their clothing instead of diapers.

Also, twins could be purchased in chosen sets. The dolls were allowed to be chosen--paired up in varying groups. A purchaser could buy girl-only sets or boy-only sets. The variations in hair color and pairings meant that twins could be purchased in ten combinations of twins.

The clothes were redesigned as well. The twins were sold in the Denim Overalls Outfit for the boy and the Denim Jumper Outfit for the girl. These outfits visually directed the dolls as preschool aged children. At the same time, all and the older clothes sets were made unavailable. Clothing was no longer sold in sets that matched boy and girl. This was also the first time that clothing began to be marketed to young girls as part of the Dress Like Your Doll sets in the same way Bitty Baby clothes are, ranging from Girls' size 3-7. Unlike Bitty clothing, this did not have to be modified much to suit a young girl.

Bitty Twins were also given a starter collection that included an extra set of clothing and a twin stroller.

2008: All Races Available
In 2008 after five years of the twins only being available in Caucasian, other "races" of the twins were released along with the new meet outfits of the Plaid and Denim Outfit and Plaid and Denim Dress. While marketed by American Girl by skin tone like Bitty Baby, the newly available dolls can be loosely interpreted as African American, Asian and Latino/Latina. The new girls had closed mouths and the new boys had open mouths like the brunette twins, leaving only the blond dolls with reversed face molds.

With the new dolls the combinations expanded dramatically. Dolls do not have to be matched up by race, and it is possible to choose the same type of doll twice (such as two white blond girls or two Latino boys). This makes it possible to have one hundred combinations of the Bitty Twins.

Single Purchase
Because of the nature of the line and the marketing as twins, a single Bitty Twin is not available through mail order or online. It is possible to purchase a single Bitty Twin at the stores and boutiques for a cost of $50.

Clothing and Accessories Available for Bitty Twins
See: List of Bitty Twins Clothing and Accessories

Bitty Twin clothing was originally sold in sets that included an outfit for the boy and girl as it was assumed that a person buying the sets would have a boy and girl doll. With the remarketing in 2006, outfits were available individually since a person could have two boys or two girls. However, this has led to a skewing of availability, as more outfits are made for the Bitty twin girls than the boys. Since Bitty Twins can also wear Bitty Baby clothing, this results in a much wider choice of clothing for a girl doll than a boy doll.

When Dress Like Your Doll outfits are available, they are only modeled after the girl's outfit in a boy/girl set and only one of the girl's outfits in a girl/girl set.