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Post by C.M.Kidd on Mar 3, 2007 4:14:44 GMT -5
Bennett, Molly's dog, is associated with the book, Happy Birthday, Molly! The Pleasant Company version was introduced in 1987, with Mattel releasing a revised version in 2000. Starting in 2006, when Molly's "best friend" Emily was released, Bennett was also available as a bundled pair with Yank, Emily's dog. Bennett was retired in 2013 when Molly was archived. Bennett returned in June 2022 with Molly's rerelease. This thread includes all versions of Bennett; when adding new reviews, please specify which version you are reviewing.Pleasant Company description: Molly’s little dog, Bennett, was a special surprise on her birthday. Slip his red leash over Molly’s hand or let him sit on her lap and you’ll see that they’re made for each other. Bennett is a soft, furry pup with big brown eyes. He’s sure to win a place in your heart just like he did in Molly’s.
Mattel description: Bennet the dog is Molly's birthday surprise. Slip his red leash over Molly's hand.
Bundled description: Molly and Emily get a birthday surprise - puppies! Molly decides to name hers "Bennett," and Emily calls hers "Yank."
2022 rerelease description: Molly gets her dog as a birthday gift and names him Bennett after her new English friend, Emily Bennett. He’s plush with brown-and-white fur and wears a red ribbon collar.The original Bennett, was, well, sub-par. This pooch is not to my liking. I received him around 1993-1994 as a gift. I'm not certain what he is made out of, but the fur covering feels like real rabbit fur and you can easily see the seams from where the dog form was wrapped with the fur covering. The legs and tail are not posable. The ears can be moved from pointing forwards to pointing back. He came with a red collar and a red leash. He can be displayed easily enough, but it is difficult to pose this pooch naturally in Molly's lap. On a positive note, his face is cute. Rather than assign Bennett a grade, I'll just give him a general "Pass" since he has been redone anyway, and the original does look like the character dog in the book. As a retired piece, I do not recommend shelling out much over the original price for this item. (original code and price uncertain)
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Bennett
Mar 3, 2007 13:37:21 GMT -5
Post by QNPoohBear on Mar 3, 2007 13:37:21 GMT -5
I think the original animals were made from rabbit fur. Kirsten's cats are the same thing and I think they are ugly. Bennett is a little cuter than the cats, though.
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Bennett
Mar 27, 2007 19:41:25 GMT -5
Post by JabberwockyPie on Mar 27, 2007 19:41:25 GMT -5
F Aside from how ugly he is, the rabbit fur makes animals attracted to him. My dogs repeatedly snatched him until I had to put him away rather than display him. I recently sold one for enough to buy the current versions of Bennett AND Yank AND have them shipped to me.
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Bennett
Apr 3, 2007 17:23:24 GMT -5
Post by monimarine on Apr 3, 2007 17:23:24 GMT -5
I think the current versions are cuter. Something about the PM face makes me think of a mountain goat or a ram or something.
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Bennett
Nov 30, 2007 20:18:13 GMT -5
Post by PleasantMemories on Nov 30, 2007 20:18:13 GMT -5
Original Pleasant Company Bennett - Grade D: For as nice as the American Girl collection is, AG pets have always left a lot to be desired. Bennett the dog is no exception. Cute is often a word used to describe puppies, but it doesn’t describe Bennett. He has a scary, angular, rodant-looking face, with amber eyes and a red, felt mouth. Originally, Bennett was made of real, white rabbit fur with painted/dyed? dark spots. Over the years, the spots on my Bennett (Purchased in 1989/1990) have faded and are a light yellow in some places. One thing that has always bothered me about Bennett is his distinct seams. They look really odd in person. Also, the original Bennett is not very sturdy and tips over with the slightest vibration (even on a flat solid surface). Molly spends most of her time dragging a ‘dead dog’. The original Bennett has a plastic collar and leash with no dog tags. The leash and collar are not removable.
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Bennett
Nov 30, 2007 20:25:56 GMT -5
Post by PleasantMemories on Nov 30, 2007 20:25:56 GMT -5
Mattel Bennett - Grade C+:
While the new Bennett is significantly more attractive than the original Bennett, he is not worth the $18 price tag. He’s just a little stuffed animal. He has typical black, stuffed-animal eyes and nappy, brown, fabric “fur”. At least he keeps his tongue in his mouth.
One thing that bothers me about the newer AG animals is the long tags on their rumps. Couldn’t they find a different way to mark them? I fortunately found one without a tag. Unlike the original Bennett, the newer Bennett has a ribbon collar and leash. The leash is detachable. He also has a metal dog tag with a “B”.
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Bennett
Dec 11, 2007 13:12:23 GMT -5
Post by JabberwockyPie on Dec 11, 2007 13:12:23 GMT -5
I'd give him an A, but I only paid $10. I'd scale the rating back considerably at $18.
The tag is easy enough to remove, and I'm thrilled that this version of Bennett doesn't look rabid. Better still, since he's not made of real fur, no real pets will try to eat him. (This was a big problem for me with the original pets.)
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Bennett
Mar 17, 2008 13:40:45 GMT -5
Post by American Girl Rescue on Mar 17, 2008 13:40:45 GMT -5
Bennett the Dog Item# MBAAR2 (Item recode: #F5443) $18 (price increase to $20 January, 2012)
Molly gets a special surprise for her birthday—Bennett the dog. He’s soft and furry, with big brown eyes.We just got Bennett today and he no longer comes with a leash (detachable or not) and his collar is sewed to his neck, like Sprocket's is. Still he's soft and fluffy and we like him very much. He's about 5" long from nose to tail and 5" tall to the tips of his ears. Grade A. Bennett and Molly for size comparison
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Bennett
Jun 25, 2008 16:09:03 GMT -5
Post by grantok on Jun 25, 2008 16:09:03 GMT -5
We have Bennet and he stands kinda funky ...way smaller that I thought he would be.
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Bennett
Jul 9, 2008 22:29:00 GMT -5
Post by ashleyvp on Jul 9, 2008 22:29:00 GMT -5
Original Pleasant Company Bennett I recently acquired this version of Bennett from a lot off CraigsList. Hmmm.... what to say... This is an odd little guy. He does not seem pet-like, rather stuffed-hunting-kill-like. My dad's man-room is full of little things like this. I am not sure I would ever attempt to keep this little guy considering we have two cats and one dog who would love a shake at him. But the oddest thing is his little eyes - they are quite scary and bugged looking. So I guess it is off to ebay with him! So if you are looking to complete your Molly collection, buy the newer one. This one hardly seems a pet, or even a toy, for that matter.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2009 1:32:28 GMT -5
Original Pleasant Company Bennett I HATE this Bennett. Ugh. I got him for my birthday in 1995 or so, and he was creepy even then. Usually I like the PC/PM items, but the animals... not so much. (Ditto Kirsten's PM cats. Gross.)
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Bennett
Jul 21, 2009 19:10:44 GMT -5
Post by samfan23 on Jul 21, 2009 19:10:44 GMT -5
i remember getting this and kirsten's cats for a birthday a long time ago, and was very surprised when i got them in person. the play value was just...not there.
-di
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Bennett
Dec 19, 2009 21:27:56 GMT -5
Post by tkimt on Dec 19, 2009 21:27:56 GMT -5
I have a transition Bennet. He has a non-fabric leash, but his spots are ORANGE, and his inner ears are PUMPKIN ORANGE! Weeeird. Other than his clearly-cheap coloring he'd be awfully cute to me. His legs and tail are poseable.
"B" at best, maybe a "C."
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Bennett
Nov 7, 2010 16:32:00 GMT -5
Post by sailormolly on Nov 7, 2010 16:32:00 GMT -5
I have the current Bennet, bought this year. He is very cute and a must for any Molly collection. A+ Camping 6 by Elizabeth, on Flickr SailorMolly
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Bennett
Mar 19, 2011 17:30:31 GMT -5
Post by skukla on Mar 19, 2011 17:30:31 GMT -5
PC Bennett, with Made in Germany sticker. The leach is removable, and seems to have removed itself elsewhere for this picture: Gen-u-ine fur is used, several pieces, draped and glued around a plastic form. Some animal gave its' all for this dog:
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Simone
Historical Dreamer
My very first AG!
Posts: 2,892
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Bennett
Dec 22, 2011 11:19:24 GMT -5
Post by Simone on Dec 22, 2011 11:19:24 GMT -5
I must say I much prefer the new version. This one looks like he could fall apart at the seams!!
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Bennett
Jan 6, 2020 21:43:18 GMT -5
Post by QNPoohBear on Jan 6, 2020 21:43:18 GMT -5
Emily's Bennett and Molly's Yank are the same dog with reverse coloring. Both are super cute and fluffy but not very lifelike.
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mamared
Lead Review Moderator
Posts: 1,398
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Post by mamared on Aug 30, 2020 14:42:41 GMT -5
Mattel Version Happy Birthday, Molly! tells how Molly and her English friend, Emily, who is staying with the McIntire family, were surprised with two pups on Molly’s tenth birthday. Molly names her puppy Bennett, which is Emily’s last name, in honor of her new English friend. Emily names her puppy Yank in honor of her new American friends. I recently purchased the pair of puppies on the secondary market for a little less than their original retail price (which would have been $18 for Bennett or $32 for the pair), and I think at the discounted price it was a fair deal. Both puppies are quite cute. They are plush with nubby fabric bodies, textured black plastic noses, shiny black eyes, and red grosgrain ribbon collars that are sewn into the seams in the front and back so they don’t come off. The collar has a circular metal tag (with a “B” for Bennett and a “Y” for Yank). Mine didn’t come with leashes. (In the picture above, Yanks’s face looks a little strange. That’s because the nubby fabric is covering part of his nose and eye at that angle - not because something is wrong with him!) Bennett is mostly white with some apricot colored spots, and Yank is mostly apricot colored with some white spots. Their patterns are in reverse of each other. The other difference between the puppies is the positioning of their heads and ears. My Bennett looks forward and his ears are sewn so they lay forward without raising up. (This looks different than some of the other Bennetts here.) My Yank’s head is cocked up and to the side, and he also has one ear raised. Both puppies have orange fabric on the inside of their ears. They each have a tag that says American Girl and to “wipe clean with a damp cloth,” and a smaller tag that says F06. My main issue with AG pets is typically the size, and like most of their animals, these are quite small. However, keeping in mind that these are Jack Russell terriers, which are fairly small when full grown, and that on top of that, they are puppies when given to Molly and Emily, I think they’re actually more in proportion than most AG pets. Here they are playing with Gabriela so you can see the scale. (Please excuse Bennett’s first aid pack, which is part of the Bennett’s Pup Tent set.) Overall, I think the Mattel version of Bennett is a cute and fuzzy friend for Molly. He’s pretty small but there’s a plausible reason for that, and I think he’s especially cute when accompanied by Yank. Overall I’d give him a B+ but that would drop if purchased for anything more than the original retail price. I’m glad that he and Yank made their way here.
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