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Pleasant Company 1986 Body Tag

Claims of 1986 body tags on dolls marking Pleasant Company’s 10th anniversary are unfounded. The tags, found on dolls from ’94-’96, don’t correspond with the exact anniversary year, nor are they present on all dolls from ’96. The tags’ true purpose remains speculative without solid evidence; they may have originated from a specific factory test or to prevent impostor dolls at the doll hospital. Concrete proof to settle these theories is still sought.

There has been an unsubstantiated claim going around on social media stating that the 1986 body tag on dolls was used for the 10th anniversary of Pleasant Company. Here are some facts and theories about these body tags.

Made in Germany for Pleasant Company ©1986 Pleasant Company
Made in Germany for Pleasant Company ©1986 Pleasant Company

What we know:

This tag is seen on some (not all) dolls that were made from 1994 to 1996 (the 8th through 10th years of Pleasant Company’s existence). These years have been determined by looking at specific features on dolls that are known to be from a certain year or years. For example, dolls made from 95 to 96 have a characteristic lack of face paint. Additionally, there are distinct neck stamps for certain years (91-94, 95, and 96-99). Lastly, some dolls still have their original invoice with order dates or people have other documentation (such as Christmas photos) of when they received their doll. A compilation of this hard evidence is how we determine a time frame for when a doll was made.

Theories with no supporting evidence:

Regarding these so-called “10th Anniversary Tags”, there has been no hard evidence (internal correspondence from Pleasant Company or any other written/recorded proof) that these tags were used to “celebrate Pleasant Company’s 10th anniversary”. If it were used to celebrate a 10th anniversary, then why can this tag be found on dolls that were manufactured in 94, 95, and 96? And why is this tag not found on all dolls that were made in 96?

The more likely answer, in my opinion, is that these torsos with the ©1986 Pleasant Company tags came from a specific factory and maybe it was something PC just wanted to test out. The dolls’ heads were labeled with the company name, but the body has no distinguishing marks on it prior to this. It might have just been a test run of torsos to see if body tags would work. Or, perhaps people were sending non-PC doll bodies to the doll hospital and they wanted to make it more difficult to send in unauthentic parts to be replaced. But, these are just theories I have. Much like the unsubstantiated theory that has been spreading on social media.

Made in Germany for Pleasant Company ©1986 Pleasant Company

Conclusion

If anyone has concrete evidence that these 1986 body tags were used for Pleasant Company’s 10th anniversary, please reach out with that information. I want to share the most accurate history of Pleasant Company/American Girl that I can find and cannot in good conscious claim that something is or isn’t true without having physical proof to support it.

For more information about AG/PC dolls’ body tags, visit the Body Tags and Shoulder Tags page.