Fisher Price "My Friends" Dolls

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The "My Friend" series of dolls began in 1977 with My Friend Mandy #210. They stand 16" tall with cloth bodies, vinyl head and limbs, and rooted hair. In 1979 a My Friend Jenny doll (#212) was offered. Both dolls had additional outfits that could be purchased separately. In 1982 while both Mandy and Jenny continued to be offered, new friends were added; Becky #218, and the only boy, Mikey #205. In 1984 My Friend Nicky #206 (African American) was added to the line. In 1985, an uncataloged doll named "My Little Sister Mary" #200 was issued. She was not advertised as a "My Friend" doll but she has a "Mandy" face on a slightly smaller 14" all cloth body. Since she does not fit any category I decided to include her here. Over several years the Mandy and Jenny dolls were reissued with some slight variations in their hair and rosebud print on their cloth bodies. The dolls have a tag sewn into their backs with an identifying number. When they were reissued, the company gave them a new i.d. number. It gets confusing in the later years as old numbers were reused on different dolls.


	Mandy		Jenny
	Becky		Mikey
	Nicky		Little Sister Mary

	Jenny in separate Ballerina tutu. Yellow rosebud print body.
	Becky's standard dress (should have hat) She has a yellow rosebud print body.
*~~~~**	Little Sister Mary had Mandy face but an all cloth body. The clothes you see are not removable except for the blue skirt. This is a relatively hard doll to find.	*~~~~**
	This is Mandy #215 (1982) in third release outfit. Her body is a yellow rosebud print.
	Mikey #205 was only released in 1982 (could purchase separate clothing packs) His cloth body is plain white, no flower print.

Nicky #206 was sold in this cheerleader outfit. I am missing her pom-poms.

Jenny # 216 in a very 80s ensemble.
(Dig those leggings!) This outfit has also been referred to as #209.

Comparison of 1978 and 1984 My Friend Jenny Dolls
	The Jenny on the left is from 1978. She is tagged #212. Jenny on right has three #'s and three dates. (#218/1981, #209/1984, #216/1984) Noticeable differences include the obvious hair length, They each have the yellow rosebud print cloth body but the Jenny on right has more orange in her flowers. Jenny on right is slightly taller and her eyes are a little smaller than the other Jenny. Their skin tone is a bit different but that could be due to age.
*~~~~** Each doll came with a brochure on how to take care of the doll. Because of their sturdy construction, these Fisher-Price dolls were made to be cleaned right in the washing machine and could go in the dryer, too. There were several hair styling tips with lots of creative styles for the "little mommy" to try. They were sold with ready to wear fashions. Each outfit had a coupon to send away for a free sewing pattern.
	Second issue Jenny marked #217/1982


	"Special Birthday Mandy" She was the fifth and final issue and had a redesigned face. This is her original dress. She should have lace textured tights with white shoes. Her hair is quite a bit longer than the original Mandy. (Yellow rose print body) This was issue #4009 - 1985.

In 1991 Fisher Price reintroduced a "My Friends Classics" line for a new generation of children, though these dolls seemed to resemble the soft "lap sitters" series more than the My Friends dolls. The facts about these dolls are rather vague making them difficult to document. I have two as examples, but have never even seen a picture of the supposed third doll, a redhead. These dolls weren't out on the market long, in fact, the African American doll was never released or marketed. It is believed that only 200 of these "black" dolls were produced making them extremely rare. It is not known why the company decided to discontinue this line so quickly.
	According to sources, there were three dolls, My Friend Christie #8120 (blonde), My Friend Karen #8121 (African American), and My Friend Megan #8122 (Redhead) (not shown).

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	This was the very first issue of My Friend Mandy #210 introduced in 1977.
If you find a Mandy with her cloth body covered in pink rosebuds, that indicates that she was a first issue. Her tag number is #210. Subsequent dolls had yellow rosebuds.