Face Mold

A comparison of face molds. Clockwise from top left: Addy Mold, Sonali Mold, Classic Mold, Josefina Mold, Jess Mold.

A Face Mold (sometimes called a head mold) is a fandom term (later made official) that describes the particular cranial and facial characteristics of a doll.

Variations in eye color, hair colors and styles, and skin tone result in several different unique dolls in the 18" dolls. There are thirteen different molds that have been released; twelve are currently in use as of 2024. The first mold used is referred to as the Classic Mold, and subsequent molds are generally referred to by the first named character doll to use the mold. All the face molds are slightly asymmetrical, to mimic the natural asymmetry of human faces. Variances in creation and remolding of the base molds can result in slight differences over the years.

American Girl does not give a racial designation to any of the face molds and generally, any mold could theoretically be available with any skin, hair, and eye combination (as seen in the Create Your Own line). However, the faces do generally map to the general likenesses of perceived racial and ethnic groups.

List of Face Molds

The face molds that have been used by American Girl for the 18" dolls are:

• Classic Mold: Released in 1986; first used for Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly.
• Addy Mold: Released in 1993; first used for Addy.
• Asian Mold: Released in 1995 and retired in 2011; was only used for JLY 4.
• Josefina Mold: Released in 1997; first used for Josefina.
• Kaya Mold: Released in 2002; first used for Kaya.
• Jess Mold: Released in 2006; first used for Jess.
• Sonali Mold: Released in 2009; first used for Sonali.
• Marie-Grace Mold: Released in 2011, retired in 2014, and returned in 2022; first used for Marie-Grace.
• Nanea Mold: Released in 2017; first used with Nanea.
• Joss Mold: Released in 2020; first used with Joss.
• Makena Mold: Released in 2021; first used with Makena.
• Corinne Mold: Released in 2022; first used with Corinne.
• Claudie Mold: Released in 2022; first used with Claudie.

Masculine Face Molds

With the release of Boy Dolls in 2018, four face molds were slightly modified to take on what are seen as stereotypical "male" features: the Classic, Addy, Jess, and Sonali Molds.

This involved shaping the mouth closed and additional thickness added along the face molds' cheeks and jawlines, changing the profile of the lower jaw and elongating the face. The boy dolls are also given shorter hairstyles and painted with thicker width eyebrows.

Comparison between #62 and 76, showing the face shape differences.

Comparison of #62, 76, and Melody.

Comparison of the prior three from the side.

Bitty Baby and Bitty Twins

The Bitty Baby dolls originally appeared to have four face (and head) molds; originally the Brown, Blond, and Red haired Bitty Babies shared face molds. Because the hair is molded to the head instead of wigged--and thus an integral part of the doll's look--a new Bitty Baby cannot be added to the line as easily, though they can be tinted for hair color. All face molds were slightly changed with the 2013 rebranding, but no new face molds were added.

The Bitty Twins appear to have only a few face molds, based on an open mouth and a closed mouth variation. The faces are slightly different for the "Asian", "Latino", and "African" Bitty Twins. Since the dolls are wigged, variations are easier than with Bitty Babies.

WellieWishers

The WellieWishers and Gwynn Tan have three face molds so far:

• "Emerson" (used for Emerson and Gwynn)
• "Kendall" (used for Kendall, Ashlyn, and Bryant)
• "Willa" (used for Willa and Camille)