Scroll down for clarifications to each measurement and to read my research article for Black History Month.
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Would you like to compare this doll’s measurements to another doll’s measurements? If so, my Tape Measure Tuesday gallery may be a good place to find the doll measurements you’re looking for.
Clarifications:
Height does not include the doll’s hair, but is only measuring from the top of the doll’s actual head to the flat surface I stand them on, when measuring. Before measuring, I always stand the doll on their bare feet, not shoes. If the doll has a foot that’s formed for wearing high heels, I use the flat of the toe area to stand them on, measuring from the top of the actual head to the the surface they’re standing on.
The measurement for the sleeve inseam includes a measurement from the doll’s underarm to what would be the end of a doll’s cuff, when wearing a collared shirt.
The sleeve circumference measurement is a measurement of the widest part of the doll’s or action figure’s arm, but for GI Joe action figures, the sleeve circumference is identical to the circumference of his fisted hand. That’s to make sure the doll’s or action figure’s hand will go through a sleeve, from the arm hole all the way to (and through) the cuff of a long sleeve.
Where it says “underarm to waist,” this is a measurement of the underarm seam area to the true waist. If you’re not sure what is meant by “true waist,” that’s where the doll’s belly button would be, if the doll had one. If your doll has wider hips than his/her belly, you can measure the true waist by placing a rubber band around the doll’s belly. Where it rests naturally is the “true waist” for most of these dolls.
The doll’s pants inseam refers to the length of the doll’s leg from crotch to just below the ankle bone (if the doll had one) on the inside of the leg. If the doll doesn’t have an ankle bone that’s prominent enough to tell where it is, you have to get creative and imagine one!
The doll’s pants outseam refers to the length of the doll’s leg from the waist, over the hip, to just below the ankle bone.
The doll’s leg circumference is typically taken at the upper thigh. It’s a measurement of the leg at its widest point.
For GI Joe and other action figures, I also include the circumference of the foot. That’s because on some action figures, the pants’ leg circumference needs extra room to accommodate the foot, especially if your doll or action figure’s foot cannot bend. In those cases, you should make the pant leg wide enough to fit the whole foot inside the pant leg, horizontally.
If you need a tape measure, Dritz is a trusted company that makes sewing supplies of a high quality. For dolls, I recommend getting a narrow one, like the 3/8 inch tape measure by Dritz.
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Black History Month
As you may recall, it’s February, which is Black History Month. As part of the celebration, I’ve been posting little research articles about famous people of African or African American heritage.
And because today’s Tape Measure Tuesday infographic offers sewing measurements for GI Joe, I want to tell you all about Robert Smalls, an often-forgotten hero of the American Civil War.
During the war, Smalls was an enslaved man who was in charge of the slave crew of the Planter, a Confederate ship. When the captain and the white crew went ashore, Robert Smalls stole the ship. “After first smuggling aboard his wife, children, and five other people, he and the eight-man crew hoisted anchor” (Altman). He and his all-Black crew then maneuvered the Planter out of the harbor at Charleston, South Carolina, and sailed north to freedom.
According to Wikipedia, “He… piloted the ship to the Union-controlled enclave in Beaufort–Port Royal–Hilton Head area, where it became a Union warship. In the process, he freed himself, his crew, and their families.” Robert Smalls was truly a great American hero, a real-life GI Joe!
After the war, he served as a United States congressman. To learn more about him, you can visit your public library, or read about him on Wikipedia.
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Resources:
Altman, Susan. Extraordinary Black Americans: From Colonial to Contemporary Times. Children’s Press, 1989.
Robert Smalls, captain of the gun-boat “Planter” The gun-boat “Planter,” run out of Charleston, S.C., by Robert Smalls, May 1862. [Place of Publication:Illus. in: Harper’s weekly, v. 6, 1862 June 14, p. 372.] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021669923/>.
Wikipedia contributors. “Robert Smalls.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 Feb. 2026. Web. 8 Feb. 2026.
Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:
Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.
If you’re interested in purchasing the doll or dolls mentioned in today’s blog post, please navigate to the doll companies’ website(s) to learn more about the dolls they offer.