Global Friends

Global Friends Mariko and Mei Ling

Global Friends Mariko and Mei Ling
13" Global Friends debuted in the late 1990s with 13 (?) dolls, two of whom were Asian: Mariko from Japan, and Mei Ling from China. Both dolls have light beige skin and brown eyes. They share a common face mold with all the other Global Friends dolls. Mei Ling has long, straight black hair originally clipped into hair ornaments. Mariko's black hair is cut in a shorter, bob hairstyle. The dolls are now retired and can be difficult to get, but they will occasionally show up on secondary markets like eBay for about $30 or $70 (sometimes less).

Global Friends Aziza

Global Friends Aziza - Egyptian doll with national dress and headband
I had seen images of Global Friends dolls for a while, mostly on this McCall's Crafts pattern for 14" and 18" dolls. I didn't know which dolls these were at first, but I began running into them on the web during my doll journeys last year. I thought they had the cutest little faces, and I eventually learned they were Global Friends, 14" dolls which were produced in the late 90s and were now retired.