Hello, and welcome to all the Jesmar Newborn Doll Fans!
I wrote a Jesmar doll blog back in 2012 and lost access to it. So I copied and re-wrote everything from that old blog, to this one. Now I can be more active with it.
A link to my old blog will be down at the bottom of this page (but please come back to this new one!). All attempts to recover access to my old blog have failed, even with Google/Blogger support's help.
So I say we all continue discussing these amazing dolls here in our own snug little corner of the internet!
Jesmar Dolls
Many people may not know the Jesmar brand, right off the bat. But you might know something they made which is more familiar.
Yes, for a while they manufactured the older “Cabbage Patch Kid” dolls! Along with a few other companies. Although now, those brands have changed hands.
In this blog, I will be focusing on the “Jesmar Newborn doll” and the few companies that have made similar dolls.
How Jesmar Dolls Came To Us
Most of these dolls were mail order; either from television infomercials, or magazines. Their labels said "Made In Spain", and they were wonderful quality!
As far as I know, they were never sold in Amercian stores. Whether they were being sold in European shops, I am uncertain.
The first Jesmar newborn baby doll I ever heard of, was about 17” long, although some will say 15” or 16”. It depends on how you measure.
It was more preemie to newborn size. Very simple clothing. It wore only a diaper, and a simple white sleeveless layette that extended to the diaper. Much like a tiny hospital gown.
The girl’s top had delicate pink trim along the bottom hem, and the boy’s had blue trim. This allowed you to tell if the doll was a boy or girl, without removing the diaper. Yes, they have "girl and boy parts”.
They also came with a hospital wrist band, a yellow pacifier, and gauze bandage over their belly, to cover their umbilical cord. Some even came with a hospital blanket.
But the one thing that always caught my eye was again, the pacifier-- it was small, round and clear-yellow. Some of them were double-sided, with a nipple on both ends. But some had a big yellow ring at the end, like a Cabbage Patch Kid pacifier. It was hard plastic, and popped nice and snug into the doll’s mouth.
Now, in my search, I have found that over the years there have been a few dolls made very much like the Jesmar newborn. Along with some similar dolls that came before it.
How I Came To Love Jesmar Dolls
I actually remember when I first learned of these dolls. I was living in Europe-- Germany, to be exact. We were an American military family stationed there, living on a U.S. military base.
One year, when I was about 7 years old (1988), all the families living on the base received a small magazine in the mail. It sold all kinds of things, much like those Harriet Carter magazines.
Turn it over, and he entire back cover was a big advertisement for a Jesmar newborn baby doll.
The advertisement photo was of a child smiling down at one of the dolls. The photo was clear, with vivid colors. The description listed off all the clothing and accessories the doll came with.
There were 4 options to choose from with these dolls, listed as such:
White
Newborn Girl
White
Newborn boy
Black
Newborn Girl
Black
Newborn Boy
Each doll comes with:
* Birth certificate
* Hospital gown
* Hospital blanket
* Wrist band
* Gauze Bandage over belly button
* Diaper
* Pacifier
The company was aiming to make any baby doll-loving child who saw the ad want that doll.
And they did… As a matter of fact, almost every girl living on our base ended up getting a Jesmar doll that year!
Well, everyone except me.
Oh trust me, I tried. I drove my parents insane with that magazine ad. That, and my constant talking about the doll and BEGGING them to order me one.
It wasn't that they didn't want me to have one-- we were short on money, I think. Plus my parents weren’t too enthusiastic about mailing out a check in a foreign country, and waiting for a doll to ship. As an adult, I can totally empathize with all that! Lol.
Also mind you, it was the late 1980’s, so debit cards and
online ordering were not a thing.
But as a kid, you have no concept of those things.
To settle me down, my parents told me they ordered me one. I'm pretty sure they thought it would be like most childhood obsessions. The initial excitement, and then it's forgotten in a week or two.
Not the case with me. I carried that magazine around everywhere with me, obsessing over the doll. I even slept with it under my pillow.
To me, this doll was not merely another toy. I wanted to be an obstetrition, because the development of human life really fascinated me. when I was 5, my Dad bought me the coolest book about fetus development. It was huge, and had full color pictures of every stage of the baby in the womb. I wanted to be part of the incredible event of helping new life come into the world.
To me, there was something kind of "medical" and very realistic about this particular doll, that no other doll had. It fit my aspirations to perfectly. I TRULY wanted it, more than any other toy. Heck, I would have traded all my other toys, just to have this one.
But... no doll ever came. Then somehow, that magazine I carried everywhere disappeared.
Finally my parents admitted that they did not really order the doll. They felt bad too, because now they couldn’t order one. And everywhere they took me, they would catch me starring at another girl who had that doll. Sometimes, I would see them look at me, then look at each other, with a sad expression. I didn't want to make them feel bad, or anything. I just couldn't help it.
Heaven help me, I hated watching the other girls walk around with their Jesmar dolls. that only made me want one even more!
So I made a promise to myself-- when I was old enough, and had my own money, I would buy one for myself.
I never forgot that promise.
As an adult with a job, I started searching for these dolls-- only to find out that they were no longer being manufactured. The only ones available were the pre-owned ones, sold on websites like eBay.
Some were in terrible shape, and some were in perfect shape, still in the box! Those were hard to find though, and very expensive.
So I decided to go halfway on that—if I found one, it would have to be in decent condition, but also a good price.
Oh, and it had to be the original, 17” Jesmar newborn, from the late 1980’s only.
I finally found one. A girl doll, which I purchased from a seller in England. So here is a picture of MY Jesmar doll-- finally, a childhood promise fulfilled:
The most important accessory to me was the yellow pacifier. I always thought it was so unique and adorable. So I found another seller who had 2 of those pacifiers for sale! I bought both of them, because I thought I should find a “twin brother” for my doll later.
I also bought 2 preemie-sized onesie outfits. One pink and one blue, in anticipation of the twin brother. Also a 2-pack of newborn diapers with Velcro tapes, so they could be re-used, and would fit the dolls.
When I opened the packaging of my girl Jesmar doll, it was kind of like a sense of completion. Here was something I had been searching for most of my life and I was very happy to finally have it. Especially in such wonderful condition!
It seemed so small, but then again, I had grown quite a bit since the last time I had held one. When I lived in Germany, there were a couple of girls who let me hold their Jesmar doll, so I wasn’t completely deprived…
I loved how the doll had one open hand, while the other stayed curled up into a tiny little fist. I thought that was the cutest thing ever, and I still do. Actually, the little fist sticking out was how I could spot a Jesmar newborn doll, a mile away!
Now that I had my own, I was very happy, even though I was a grown woman! But she seemed incomplete by herself, somehow.
So I started searching for a twin brother for her. I found one and at last, in as good of condition as the girl! Now I had an adorable set of Jesmar twins and the circle was complete.
Other Jesmars - 1980’s vs. 1990’s
I should note, they did continue making Jesmar newborns into the early 1990's. But I have noticed a few distinct differences between Jesmars of the 80's, and Jesmars of the 90's.
The 1980’s Version
The newborn Jesmar dolls that were being sold when I was a kid living in the 80’s were more petite. They had thinner torsos, arms and legs. They fit preemie size baby clothes.
But they had a more tilted head, with a leaner face. Although the tilt in their head made one cheek bulge out more than the other. I'm guessing that was to exaggerate the angle of their head tilt.
Their eyes were wider and they had higher, more delicate brows. The pacifier was double sided with no ring.
The 1990’s Version - Migliorati / Natiora
Sleeping Jesmar
They may not have sold as well because it's hard for a child to interact with a doll who’s eyes are always closed. It limits play options, since a child could only pretend that the baby was sleeping.
But they are still a great addition to your doll collection if you can manage to find them.
Tiernicito- Vintage Jesmar Soft Body
I have also seen Jesmars that are vintage, much older, from even further back than my childhood. They had soft bodies. Some of them came this way. Others (usually newer ones) were alterations done by a reborn artist.
Emson
Dolls
Another company that made dolls very close to the Jesmar style is Emson.
From what I could gather, Emson is an American company though. Their newborn dolls were an inch or so bigger than the 1980’s Jesmars. The Emson doll’s head was facing more straight up and down, with their cheeks more symmetric. But they do fit the same size outfits as Jesmar for the most part.
Emson babies shipped in a simple, plain brown box, wrapped in a plastic bag. Rather than a brand name stamped on the back of their neck, they had only “Made In China” with a number.
You can't tell which company made them by looking at them, unless you have done some research. Or you read their thank you notes and birth certificates.
Emsons also came wearing a diaper and a small layette top like Jesmars. While their vinyl is somewhat soft, it's not as soft as a Jesmar. Particularly in the head.
This company has been making these dolls for quite some time. As a matter of fact, they are easier and more common to find than Jesmar. If you see a doll like this on eBay, there is about an 80% chance it is an Emson. Particularly if the seller did not find a Jesmar stamp anywhere on it, or there is a “Made In China” stamp.
Older / Vintage Emson Dolls
I have seen older versions of Emson newborn dolls. They have the same exact body as the newer ones, but the head, mouth and face are very different.
To be honest, I never cared much for the older Emsons. To me, their heads look misshapen, and the eyes remind me of aliens, lol. I’m not that crazy about the mouths either. Their pacifiers were also yellow, but darker and smaller in the mouth piece.
Whitney Dolls
Whintey is another American company that made similar dolls to Jesmar. But it's easy to tell a Whitney doll if you can touch it, or compare it to others.
Although Whitney dolls are also marked with “Made In China” and a number-- they are longer in the body than the others. They're about 20 inches long.
Also, while the Whitney doll’s looks are identical in every way to the most recent Emsons, they're vinyl is VERY hard. No joke, this doll’s vinyl almost feels like hard plastic, and has no give to it at all.
They tend to have more excess vinyl sticking out from the seems and creases. It looks like overfill from the molding process. You could say they had a “sloppy making”, not to be too harsh.
You will also notice that with time, wide gaps form in the joints of the legs, shoulders and neck. It seems to be from the lesser quality vinyl.
It has an unpleasant factory smell, too. That's the worst part.
I would say that the quality of the Whitney doll is less than the quality of the others. The joints do move, but again, its the awkward bigger size and the very hard plastic with the smell, that puts me off.
They're shipped like an Emson with similar packaging. But their pacifiers have the large ring behind them. Also their birth certificates are much smaller. About the size and color of the Emson’s “thank you” note.
They too have a thank you note, only theirs has a small warning on it (like the Raffoler dolls below). The warning says that the doll may have a “slight odor” at first. But assures you that this is not dangerous, and it will go away.
Well, its been almost 20 years, and the Whitney dolls I have handled still have their odor, lol. So I don’t think that’s accurate, lol.
Raffoler 10-Inch Mini Dolls
These are popular too, and I used to have one when I was a kid. I found it at a flea market for $5. I guess I saw it as a cheap little substitute for the Jesmar I wanted, lol.
They were these tiny little 10 inch baby dolls, made (kind of) in the style of an Emson. But with a large, disproportionate head for their body size.
Their vinyl is medium firmness, not too hard, not too soft. But they are not that realistic, they look more “cartoon-like”.
I always thought they kind of had “bug eyes”, very wide and deep set. The structure of their face didn’t look very natural either, especially around the eyes. But for some reason people tend to like them, and think they are cute. I'll wager it’s the micro-preemie size, and all the cute accessories.
They do come with the same yellow pacifiers as all the other dolls. Also with birth certificates, diaper, layette. Sometimes even very small pillows and blankets. They too have the thank you note mentioning an odor, but I never noticed an odor with any of the ones I have handled. Or with mine.
Some of them are “drink and wet”, while some are not.
Link to my old Jesmar Doll Blog for reference:
http://jesmardoll.blogspot.com/
