Matttel called this doll the" Bendable Leg" Barbie rather than the "American Girl" Barbie. But because of her page-boy style hair, it was eventually changed to the American Girl.
Another very rare version is the Japanese Side-part American Girl who was made exclusively for the Japanese Market and sold only in Japan. She had a "pink tone" and came on the Barbie/Midge straight leg body (rather than the bendable leg body that the traditional American Girl Barbie dolls have). Sometimes she can be found on a bend leg body too. She came in the same swimsuit, open toe heels and a variation of the wire stand that the American version did. There were also Japanese “dressed dolls” available, that came in Japanese versions of Barbie’s ensembles, and these dolls (and the boxes) are extremely rare and command a huge price on the secondary market.
Rare Long-haired Silver
American Girl
The difference between the Japanese Side Part and the U.S. Side Part is their skin tone. The U.S. Version had a "tan tone" and the Japanese version had a "pink tone".
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