The Götz Precious Day Collection dolls (launched in 2002) are one of the prime competitors among American Girl lookalikes, although they can hardly be called a knock-off. Götz was in fact the original creator of the American Girl doll design and even aided in the assembly of Pleasant Company's early dolls. So Götz Puppenmanufaktur can easily be viewed as the "granddaddy" of American Girl Dolls.

Götz actually goes back many decades and expands across many genres of dolls, but no doubt one of their most popular doll lines among AG doll enthusiasts is the Precious Day Collection. Precious Day features three "pre-teen" dolls, Jessica, Elisabeth, and Julia.

These dolls have had a number of iterations over the years, namely the Stolle, Starshine, and Mona Lisa versions, each which uses a somewhat different face mold. The "Mona Lisa" face mold was the original, created shortly after Götz discontinued their Little Sisters line (and with whom the Mona Lisa Precious Day dolls share more than a passing resemblance).
 

"Mona Lisa" Precious Day Jessica, Julia, and Elisabeth

The Mona Lisa version was then replaced by the Starshine version in 2004, named after the Starshine doll company who used this face mold for their Native American dolls produced by Götz. The same year, an "early" Stolle version, designed by artist Kristen Stolle, made its appearance with a fringed unnamed blonde and brunette doll which were sold along with the Starshine version, though it wasn't until 2006 when the Stolle version was identified with the Precious Day dolls.

Currently the Starshine version is the only Precious day doll available directly from Götz, although a newer, unfringed Stolle version can be purchased though Haba USA, and both the new and old Stolle versions can be easily found on the secondary market along with the Starshine dolls. The Mona Lisa version is rare but can occasionally be found on the secondary market as well.

The Three Faces of Elisabeth: Precious Day face molds L to R -- Mona Lisa, Starshine, and Stolle

Jessica, Elisabeth, and Julia themselves share the same face mold; the differences can be found in their hair and eye colors: blonde/blue for Jessica, red/gray-green for Julia, and brown/brown for Elisabeth.

Other Precious Day dolls have also sneaked into the collection from time to time and joined the core three, namely brunette, blue-eyed Ashley and blonde, brown-eyed Emily, as well as Asian Kimberly and Hispanic Alicia, all of which made their debut during the Mona Lisa phase before abruptly being discontinued with advent of the Starshine era. While not currently available from Gotz, any one of these may pop up on the secondary market now and then (though Ashley and Emily are very rare).

 

Precious Day Kimberly (L) and Alicia (R)

Sometimes a rare, blue-eyed version of Starshine Elisabeth (with lower quality hair) has appeared on the market, as well as several unnamed 18" dolls marketed as "Precious Day."

Blue-eyed "Starshine" Elisabeth

Precious Day dolls, like their cousins American Girl dolls, are known as articulated, soft-bodied dolls, meaning their arms and legs are jointed vinyl allowing them to stand and hold a pose, while their torsos are made of cloth. Their vinyl has a slightly rosier hue than AG dolls' somewhat sallow skin color, and their overall craftsmanship has a weighty, solid feel to it. They stand firmly on their own.

Kimberly, Elisabeth, Jessica, and Alicia.

Perhaps one of the most impressive features of Precious Day dolls is their ultra thick, shiny rooted hair. The hair has outstanding quality and durability, is easy to style, and seldom tangles to any real degree. Even after years of rough play or neglect, the rooted hair washes and combs out easily with little trace of any previous issue.

Mona Lisa Elisabeth and Jessica

Precious Day dolls are comparable to AG dolls at 18" (44 cm) though some of their heights may vary. Their heads and facial features are similar in proportion, though Precious Day Starshine dolls have slightly longer necks. The cloth bodies of the older dolls have a tapered cut as compared to American Girl dolls, giving them a broad-shouldered appearance, meanwhile Stolle dolls often have extra wide hips. Precious Day dolls and American Girls dolls have identical or nearly identical arms, legs, hands. and feet. They can easily share clothes with one another.  

Comparing dimensions: Götz Precious Day Jessica and Pleasant Company American Girl Kirsten

 

	Pleasant Company American Girl	Mattel American Girl	Götz Precious Day (Starshine)
height	18" / 46cm	18" / 46cm	18" / 46cm
head	12 1/4" / 32cm	12" / 30.5cm	12 1/4" / 32cm
chest	11 1/2" / 29cm	11 1/4" /28.5cm	11 1/2" / 29cm
waist	11 1/4" /28.5cm	10 1/2" / 26.5cm	10 1/2" / 26.5cm
hips	12 1/2" / 32cm	12" / 30.5cm	11 1/2" / 29cm

Measurements are approximate and individual dolls may vary.

 

Precious Day dolls, unlike wigged American Girl dolls, have rooted hair. The synthetic fiber can be washed, combed, styled, and many doll enthusiasts consider it superior to American Girl doll hair. The Stolle and Starshine versions can be found with or without a bangs/fringe option.

   

Götz also offers its own fashions for 17.5" - 19.5" dolls, which may be purchased through either the Gotz official site, or the Haba USA site for comparable costs.

 

 

Götz Precious Day Girls can be purchased new or on the secondary market typically for anywhere from $25 to $120 or more. The average cost runs about $45 - $75.

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