Dawn Body Molds

Not all Dawn dolls are created equal. The factories producing the dolls for Topper used molds with variations--part of the fun of collecting is finding these variations. It's anal-retentive to the extreme, but if you're a collector, finding a new variation can be like finding an extra $20 bill in your back pocket. Okay, maybe not that good, but close.

This page covers the basic body types, as well as the variations that I've encountered to date. If you know of other variations, please write me (alix@sappho.com) with info.

Here's what I have so far:

• Basic body types
• Hand types
• Dolls with collarbones
• Dolls with points on their bust line

Basic Body Types

Dawn dolls come in two basic body types: Standard and Dancing.

Standard dolls have twist-and-turn waists. You can recognize them by the diagonal line that attaches their upper body to their hips.

Dancing dolls have straight waists with a notch on their right side. When you move a dancing doll's left arm, her head should turn while her hips swivel. If any part of the internal mechanism is missing or broken, this might not work, but the notch is a give-away as to what the doll is supposed to do.

A peek inside a dancing Dawn shows how the dance mechanism works:

Examining this picture, you can see how a doll requires three pieces (um, cogs?) that interlock to create the dancing action. A doll that's missing one of these pieces may still dance, just not completely. For example, I have a doll that is missing the lower ring with the teeth--her head moves when I move her arm, but there's nothing to "catch" the legs and make them move.

Dancing dolls often have a white head knob (where the head attaches to the neck) but not always. If you want to remove the head from a dancing doll, rock the head from side to side, rather than forward to back, as you ease it off. This puts less strain on the internal mechanism.

Hand Variations

I've seen three different hand types on Dawn dolls, varying significantly in detail:

1. This hand type is very detailed, showing the three major lines in the palm, as well as lines along the inside finger knuckles. A delicate hand, it's a bit smaller than the others.

2. This is the moderately detailed hand--not as many lines and not as deeply etched as the first hand mold, but still quite nice.

3. Almost no detail is apparent in the third hand type. This hand is larger, with more visible "seams" at the sides of the mold. I like to call this one "The Claw."

Collarbones

One of my favorite variations in body molds is the one with collarbones. I have only a handful of dolls with this feature--most are made in Taiwan or Japan, but I've found two labeled Hong Kong. Here's what I'm referring to:

It's a little hard to see, but Melanie has collar bones. Here's another view:

The photograph doesn't capture this too well--it's a little more noticable in "real life." A nice touch.

Pointy Bits on the Bust Line

Lest you think I'm being unnecessarily coy, let me say that I'm not using the "n" word for pointy bits because I really don't care to have this page be visited by a lot of people searching for something a little more exciting. My server doesn't need the extra hits!

That out of the way, here's the proof that a few Dawn dolls come more fully equipped than others:

It may be subtle, but yes, those are pointy bits on Angie's bust line. I only have one doll out of -- well, too many to say -- with this feature.