Doll Lists

Carpetina Ana Ming

Carpetina Ana Ming
There are two "Asian" Carpetina dolls, Ana Ming and Kohanna. Ana Ming is of Chinese ancestry with light skin, long black hair, and brown eyes. She retails from the Carpetina website for about $85. Kohanna is less of a standard Asian doll and more of a anime-type Japanese school girl so she does not have typical Asian characteristics.  Her hair is light brown/ auburn and her eyes are hazel. She also retails for about $85 from the Carpetina website. Both Ana Ming and Kohanna are slim 18" dolls


JAPANESE SCHOOL GIRL KOHANNA

Kidz 'n' Cats Miu

Kidz 'n' Cats Miu
Mui is the Kidz 'n' Cats contribution to the Asian doll market. She does not have uniquely a Asian face sculpt however, as she shares the "pouty" face mold with several of her Caucasian KnC friends, including Alyssa, Mareike, and Amelie. She is an 18" slim doll, full vinyl, and has 11 joints for maximum articulation. This makes her ideal for both kids and adult collectors. Mui has medium skin, black fringed hair, and brown eyes. She can be bought on popular online doll markets, including eBay, for a steep $160 - $180 or more.

Make Me Your Friend Lily

Make Me Your Friend Lily
Hobby Lobby formally had "Do-it-yourself-poseable-18"-doll-kits in four different models of different ethnicities. The Asian doll's name was Lily. Lily has long black hair (originally caught in high pigtails that might leave permanent bends in the doll's hair) with somewhat sparse hair plugs. She has pale skin and brown eyes. Her face mold is unique among the other MMYF dolls. The assembled body looks very similar to that of Springfield dolls, but with a long Velcro closure in the back.

Hobby Lobby retired these dolls kits a few years ago, so Lily may be difficult to find. Some of her doll-kit friends may occasionally show up on the secondary market for between $10 and $30 (original un-assembled price was $20) but Lily is extremely rare. (My Lily is the only one I have seen in a year and a half of browsing the markets. She was purchased for $15 in like-new condition.)

Paola Reina Mei, Lis, and Lui

Las Reinas Mei
Spanish doll manufacturer Paola Reina offers three Asian dolls from among their collections: Las Reinas (The Queens) Mei, Soy Tu (I am You) Lis, and Las Amigas (The Friends) Lui. Mei is the largest at 23.6" (60cm). Lis is in the middle at 15.7" (40cm) and little Lui is the smallest at 12.5" (32 cm).

The dolls are available in Europe and the Americas from their respective Paola Reina websites. Mei retails for about $115 (USD). Lis retails for about $60 (USD) and Lui retails for about $44 (USD). The dolls are also available from online markets like Amazon, Etsy, or eBay, though with generally inflated prices. 

  
SOY TU LIS

 
LAS AMIGAS LUI

Hearts 4 Hearts Tipi

Hearts 4 Hearts Tipi
13" Hearts 4 Hearts Girls Tipi is a little bit unique in that she comes from Laos in South East Asia, a region which isn't often represented in Asian play dolls. She has long black hair and brown eyes, and her vinyl is light tan as opposed to the usual pale-skinned Asian doll. Her face mold in unique. H4H dolls debuted around 2011 (?) but can be difficult to find at retail stores today. They can still be found at online markets like Amazon and eBay, typically for about $40 - $80, sometimes more. They can also be purchased in used condition on secondary markets for less. Tipi in particular can be hard to find and usually costs more than the average H4H, about $50 - $125, though a diligent buyer may find her for less. 

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).

Adora Friends Jasmine and 4Ever Friends Lily

Adora Friends Jasmine and 4Ever Friends Lily
Adora makes Asian dolls in both of their 18" "Friends" collection: Jasmine from "Friends" and Lily from "4ever Friends." Jasmine has a unique face mold but Lily has occasionally shared her face mold with her Caucasian 4Ever Friends buddies. Jasmine and Lily can be found at some toy outlets but more reliably from online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. They can usually be bought for about $30 - $70, although the asking price can be higher. This is more often the case with Jasmine.

    
JASMINE and LILY

Best Friends Club, Ink. Yuko

Best Friends Club Yuko
Best Friends Club, Ink. Yuko is one of the rarest of the retired BFC dolls. She can however still be found on Amazon and on secondary market sites like eBay. Yuko has long black hair and brown eyes. Her face mold is unique. BFC, Ink. dolls are frequently cited as being suitable for older kids and for adult collectors, due to their complex and possibly fragile, highly articulated 18" bodies. So be prepared to shell out around $100 for a new-condition Yuko, though her price can easily range in the $200s.

Today's Girl Leah

Today's Girl Leah
Today's Girl at CP Toys offers two 18" Asian dolls, Leah and Limited Edition Mia. The dolls use the same face mold but come in different outfits. They retail for $39 at the CP Toys site. Incidentally, Leah and Mia have a Canadian twin: Newberry's Asian Lily, sold only through Newberry in Canada (no US shipping) for Asian doll seekers up north. Lily retails for $29 CAD.


TODAY'S GIRL LIMITED EDITION MIA | CANADIAN NEWBERRY LILY

Gotz Precious Day Kimberly | Pottery Barn Kids Mei

Gotz Precious Day Kimberly | Pottery Barn Kids Mei
In 2002, Gotz added several 18" girl dolls to their Precious Day collection, one of them being Asian pouty-faced Kimberly. Kimberly has light skin, dark brown eyes, and long, thick brownish-black hair with bangs. She was retired after only two years so she can sometimes be difficult to find, but she does occasionally show up on secondary markets like eBay. Her cost will vary, usually between $30 - $100.

A very similar doll is Pottery Barn Kids Limited Edition Mei from China, also by Gotz. Mei uses the same face mold as Kimberly, with a slightly slimmer, slightly lower quality Pottery Barn Kids body. Her thinner hair comes styled into two, high, side buns, and is shoulder-length and layered when taken down. Mei, like Kimberly, is retired and difficult to find. Her secondary market cost when in new condition runs similar to Kimberly's, about $30 - $100.

  
GOTZ PD KIMBERLY AND PBK MEI FROM CHINA

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