Bennett

[C.M.Kidd]

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)

[QNPoohBear]

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.

[JabberwockyPie]

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.

[monimarine]

I think the current versions are cuter. Something about the PM face makes me think of a mountain goat or a ram or something.

[PleasantMemories]

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.

[PleasantMemories]

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”.

[JabberwockyPie]

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.)

[American Girl Rescue]

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

[grantok]

We have Bennet and he stands kinda funky ...way smaller that I thought he would be.

[ashleyvp]

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.

[valuemeal2]

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.)

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

[tkimt]

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."

[sailormolly]

I have the current Bennet, bought this year. He is very cute and a must for any Molly collection. A+



SailorMolly

[skukla]

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:

[AmericanGirlFan728]

I must say I much prefer the new version. This one looks like he could fall apart at the seams!!