The Kaya Face Mold was the fifth face mold created for the American Girl Doll line; it was introduced in 2002.
Characteristics[]
The most prominent difference is that, unlike all other face molds, the mouth is closed and shows no teeth. This is due to a cultural taboo in Nimipuu (Nez Perce) culture of baring the teeth as it shows aggression. The mold is in many ways similar to the Josefina Mold, with a longer, less upturned nose and oval eyes; the nose is wider in the Kaya mold but not as wide as in the Addy Mold. The face is rounder than the Josefina mold and there is a slight dimple in the chin just below the lips.
In 2023 it was added to the Create Your Own designer; it is described as "round, closed smile."
Trivia[]
- As a previously unique face mold, the mold was for some time stamped with "Pleasant Co 2002" on the back of the neck.
- There is considerable controversy in the fact that the Logan doll uses the Kaya Mold. Not only are there the cultural implications of the design there is the passive implication that a Native-designed face is more "masculine", especially when at the time no other explicitly Native characters had been released but Kaya (and still have not been).