Heidi Ott ~ Faithful Friends Collection

 

Home
About Just Magic
Meet the Dolls
Articles
Pictures and Stories
Message Boards
Links
Contact the Webmaster

 

A Target Advertisement for the dolls

 

Beth shows you the detail on her lovely, lined coat, which has real button holes.

Doll Line

Faithful Friends Collection

Also sold as Best Friends, School Children and Play Dolls

Manufacturer/Distributer

Target Stores (later, School Children/Play Dolls were sold by Heidi Ott)

Artist

Heidi Ott

Production Years

1997-1998 (at Target), 2000-2004 at Heidi Ott's website/catalog/retailers.

Size

H18"

Body Type

Soft body, non-articulated

Eyes

Sleep eyes

Hair

Wigged synthetic

Identifying Markings

"Heidi Ott" in script incised on the neck, body tag ("Heidi Ott")

Retail Price

$39 (?)

Clothing/Accessories

Boxed outfits available separately.

Clothing Fit

Fits American Girl doll clothes fairly well. Feet are longer and narrower. Shoulders and hips are broader. Slightly taller.

Dolls in Series

These are the four "core" dolls, featured in the book series:

Beth: blue eyed blonde, sober face no teeth

Maggie: auburn (usually) or brown hair and brown (usually) or green eyes, freckles, sober face no teeth
Ellie: dark brown skin, Hannah mold, brown eyes, teeth

Hannah: dark brown hair, blue eyes, smiling face, teeth showing

 
Most of these dolls were minor characters in the books. Ben was the easiest to find:

Ben: Beth mold, blue eyes, blond hair

Maria: Maggie mold, medium skin, dark hair and eyes

Jacob: Hannah mold, red hair, blue eyes
Willie: Hannah mold, lighter brown skin, curly black hair, brown eyes
Daniel: unique mold, light skin, brown hair, dark eyes

Books?

All these books are by Sharla Scannell Whalen, illustrated by Virginia Kylberg:

"Meet the Friends"

"Flower Girl Friends"

"Friends on Ice"

"Best Friends Under the Sun"

Sources

Secondary market

For More Information

None known

The Faithful Friends are 18", soft-body play dolls made by Heidi Ott, a Swiss doll artist, that were distributed by Target stores in the late 1990s. Like American Girl, the dolls were also the protagonists of historical fiction books. The four books are set in the year 1896 on the Illinois prairie. In them, we meet Ellie, an African American daughter of a preacher; Beth, a wealthy girl; Maggie, the tomboy who wants to play baseball; and Hannah, a shy girl who lives on a farm. On the right is the cover of "Meet the Friends", the first book in the series.

The dolls were also found under the name of Best Friends in the beginning, before the books were published. At that time, the names and hair/eye colors of the dolls were less well-defined and you could, for instance, find a brunette Beth even though she is later found only as a blonde. The dolls were well received and well covered in the doll press: Benjamin was a 1997 DOTY (Doll of The Year) winner, Maggie made the cover of Doll World magazine in June, 1997, there was an article in the May, 1997 issue of Doll Reader and Maggie was a cover girl again for the June/July, 1998 issue of Doll Castle News.

The quality of these dolls is quite amazing. The sculpting is exceptional, not just of the face but also of the wonderfully detailed hands and feet. (In the picture on the left, you can see the difference between the Faithful Friends foot on the left and the AG foot on the right.) The vinyl quality is the best and the materials that make up the cloth body are sturdy and will last forever. The only real "flaw" in these dolls is the wig quality. Considering how affordable they were, it's understandable that the absolute best quality wigs could not be used. Fortunately, they are quite easy to re-wig. Another "flaw", which is much more a matter of opinion, is their body style. Because the dolls do not have jointed arms or legs they cannot stand on their own or hold a pose with their arms. Some people who are bothered by this have solved the problem by inserting an armature into the doll's body. They also have some trouble fitting in to doll clothes made for American Girl. The only way to solve that problem is to untie the neck string holding the head on and swap bodies with a Götz doll or some other doll with a body that better approximates the proportions of American Girl. (For instance, my Maggie, in the picture on the right, has been given a Götz body.)

The clothing for the dolls is similarly high quality. The materials, multiple layers, great shoes, lack of velcro, and great detailing are far above the norm for play dolls. The dolls did not have one single "Meet" outfit -- instead, they could be found in different collections, like the Holiday Collection, where they are dressed for Christmas. None of the outfits are modern, however, and the girls always wore clothing appropriate for their American prairie girl heritage. A fair amount of American Girl clothing fits them fine, but pants and shoes are particularly a problem. Short sleeve/sleeveless or short pant length outfits also look a bit odd on them because of the cloth that extends down past their shoulders and hips.

 

Faithful Friends and American Girl body comparison

These were the first play dolls that Heidi Ott made and the first that were made in China and not handcrafted. She wanted her dolls by be enjoyed the mass market, not just those who could afford her similarly-sized $200-$600 handcrafted dolls. However, when Target began marketing them in ways she objected to, she terminated the relationship and sued. Heidi Ott eventually won the suit but not until after a bitter fight.

After this, she sold the dolls herself under the name of School Children and later Play Dolls. They were given different names, better wigs and were available in more variations. (In the picture on the right, wearing Addy's Stilting Dress, you can see Georgia from the School Children line.) Since 2004, Heidi Ott no longer sells this type of doll, focusing instead on her extensive line of miniatures.

If you collect 18" vinyl play dolls, be sure to track down a Faithful Friends doll (or three) for your collection. They are still readily available on eBay, often mint in the box, and the prices are very reasonable.  They are a wonderful, affordable way to own a piece of Heidi Ott's artistry.

 

 

Text Copyright © 2006 Maria Greene All Rights Reserved

Home • About Just Magic • Meet the Dolls • Articles • Pictures and Stories • Message Boards • Links • Contact the Webmaster

This page was last updated 08/09/06