The My Buddy doll line was made by Hasbro

Hasbro

Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...

 in 1985 with the intention of making a doll

Doll

A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...

 to appeal to little boys and teach them about caring for their friends. Hasbro also introduced a companion "Kid Sister" marketed toward girls. Hasbro discontinued the line before the start of the 1990s and Playskool

Playskool

Playskool is an American company that produces educational toys and games for children. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.-History:...

 took over production, making changes to the likeness and clothing.

This doll is widely believed to be the inspiration for Chucky, the evil doll from Child's Play but some believe that the "That Kid" doll is the inspiration for the doll featured in the film.

Hasbro

During its initial run, My Buddy had the following characteristics:

• Red baseball cap
  Baseball cap
  A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded stiff brim. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams ,...
  
  
• Brown Hair
• Red/Yellow/blue/white striped long sleeve shirt
• Red overalls with "My Buddy" logo on chest
• blue shoes with white stripe
• The whole doll (besides head) was stuffed fabric.
• Face had blue or brown eyes, freckles, "button" nose, and smile

Two versions of the dolls existed- the brunette version, described above, and a blonde version-

• Blue baseball cap
  Baseball cap
  A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded stiff brim. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams ,...
  
  
• Blonde Hair
• Red/Yellow/blue/white striped long sleeve shirt
• Blue overalls with "My Buddy" logo on chest
• Red shoes with white stripe
• The whole doll (besides head) was stuffed fabric.
• Face had blue or brown eyes, freckles, "button" nose, and smile

Also, an African American version, outfitted the same as the brunette Caucasian doll, was available.

Playskool

The dolls released by Playskool in the 1990s were made with unremovable clothing sewn directly onto the doll's body. The new Kid Sister was also released with clothes sewn onto the body, despite complaints, making it virtually impossible to dress it in different outfits. This was done to reduce the extra cost of having to produce clothes separately, so it was all kept on one assembly line.

Advertising

The "official" song used in marketing the doll in advertisements was:

"My Buddy, My Buddy,
Wherever I go, he goes.
My Buddy, My Buddy,
I’ll teach him everything that I know.

My Buddy and me,
Like to climb up a tree.
My buddy and me,
We're the best friends that could be.

My Buddy, My Buddy,
My Buddy and Me!"