American Girl is turning 25 this year and unfortunately my favorite doll from the original collection will not be celebrating the silver anniversary alongside everyone else. That doll is Samantha Parkington, the first one from the original group to retire in 2008. I remember the wave of shock that flooded me when I first found out that she was retiring. Shock was quickly followed by nausea and a fast spiral into depression as I contemplated my own Samantha, tucked up inside of her box in the attic of my parent’s house.
When I was little, I wanted to be Samantha. Like, it was a part of my life ambition list and definitely fueled my need to incorporate petticoats into my wardrobe when I hit 30. In the books I read religiously that accompanied the doll, Samantha was the girl of 1904, living as an orphan with her wealthy grandmother, Grandmary, in ritzy Mount Bedford, New York. Under her Grandmary’s watchful eye, Samantha was meant to grow up to become a proper young lady but even though she practiced at her sewing lessons and tried not to climb trees, Samantha was curious of the evolving world around her. She made a good friend in the maid next door, Nellie, and learned through stories about the disgraceful and scary factory work conditions that such a privileged girl did not know. She also taught Nellie some basic reading and writing lessons, as Samantha understood how lucky she was to have an education at a good school.
In addition to Samantha’s budding philanthropic nature, she also came with the best wardrobe out of any of the dolls. Taffeta dresses. Silk burgundy dresses. Striped pink dresses with lace pinafores and a wreath of roses for her head (yeah, you know that birthday outfit I’m talkin’ about). Other awesome factors working in Samantha’s corner included the fact that she had a personal chef who slipped gingerbread men cookies in her gold tin lunchbox and she received not one but two gorgeous dolls as presents throughout the book series and even gave one to Nellie. She also had a smoking hot uncle, Uncle Gard, who was single and owned a “model T” car which was supposed to be super noisy and flared up a lot of dust in the wind. Ladies, hold your monogrammed handkerchiefs fast- the Gard had a ‘lady friend’ Cornelia up until the Christmas book where he proposed marriage to her, a tidy exit out of singlehood that also ensured that there wouldn’t be any future books where we caught an illustration of him placing his hand on Cornelia’s stockinged knee in public. Heavens!
Samantha and I both looked the most alike, but this was where the problems began to settle in. While I was fervently pro-Parkington, as a child I also sported glasses. I was a brunette with bangs, long brown hair and glasses who also wore a school uniform that included a sweater and skort. In other words, blink too closely or pigtail my hair too quickly and you’d think I was a total Molly McIntire. This did not please me because out of the original five dolls (Felicity, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Molly), Molly ranked dead last with me. There were a ton of reasons behind this, the vast majority insanely superficial for a 10-year-old. I wasn’t a fan of her wardrobe, her family had too many siblings for me to catch up with and the setting for the books took place during WWII, leaving behind this dreary overcast feeling in the books that was quite the departure from Samantha’s brave new world of the women’s suffrage movement.
Molly is often the American Girl doll that most girls seem to emphasize the most with and also really, really like in favor of Samantha. In the final book in her book series, Changes for Molly, she was dancing the lead in her school play, playing a character named Miss Victory. This routine required for her to wear her hair in curls and ditch the glasses, making Molly look pretty cute, actually. But then Molly kept running around outside in the rain with her hair wet and couldn’t see without the glasses and got sick the night before the performance, missing the entire thing. When I read this book, I wanted to scream at her multiple times. Who runs outside with wet hair every day when they have a show to dance in? Why didn’t you wear a hat Molly, to protect your curls? They have beauty people assisting with the show; they can fix your hair for you!! But Molly was plucky and whatnot so nobody except for me was bitching her out in this book.
Why was I so anti-Molly? Maybe it was because I had my own unsuccessful American Girl modeling show incident occur. Once, I participated in an American Girl fashion show where I dressed like Samantha in a ruffled red dress with strawberry print all over. I did my hair like hers too. Unfortunately, those glasses of mine were set to stick me in being entered in the Molly category so I ditched them at the last minute when I walked the runway. It did not go well. All the bright lights made it very hard for me to see the end of the stage. I didn’t get called back but this was okay. I had my doll and the photos of the event and that was all that mattered.
I know it’s easy to diss Samantha. Out of all of the girls, she was the least likely to get caught in an icy lake or riding bareback on a horse. She came from old money and was much more sheltered from the harsher realities of the world that Kirsten and Addy (good lord, especially Addy) experienced. If you didn’t know anything about Samantha or read the books that she came with, “prissy” and “spoiled” might be the first two words to come to mind in light of her collection of dresses and the sprawling mansion she lived in.
When I was little, most girls at my grade school did have the original American Girl dolls and typically these dolls matched their real-life physical appearance. It was a quietly known fact that the girls with Samantha and Felicity dolls had parents who understood which doll would be a success on the playground. Molly owners, on the other hand, knew they kind of got the s**t end of the stick. It’s not easy to make a doll with pigtails and glasses the envy of other girls.
But then a shift occurred over the years, the one I like to refer to as The Retirement Plan. American Girl retired Samantha, Kirsten and Felicity in rapid succession. They created other dolls like Josefina and Kaya (neither of which had a wardrobe you’d covet, sorry but not sorry, it’s the truth) and a bunch of dolls in the Girl of the Year category. Samantha’s friend Nellie briefly debuted into doll form and quickly got the retirement ax once Kit came around. No longer surrounded by old money Samantha, flame-haired Felicity, or the powerhouse of Swedish beauty that was Kirsten, Molly’s stock rose. All of a sudden, girls were actively flocking to Molly and purchasing her. The Washington Post described it as “the cult of Molly”, with young girls drawn to the doll that would ultimately set the bar for the girl they might later become. The Post even went so far as to describe it as, “It was easy to get suckered in by the other dolls. Samantha and her pretty sophistication. Kirsten and her fat blond ringlets. Josefina and her pierced ears. All of these dolls — smart and vivacious as they were — would have sat at the popular table in the modern elementary school cafeteria.”
Absolutely yes! In the American Girl-Mean Girls parallel universe, Samantha is to Regina George as Molly McIntire would try to be like Cady Heron. But Samantha would not have led the school around under the ruling of a Burn Book. C’mon you guys, did NONE of you read the books? Since when does having a nice wardrobe and money in the bank always mean that one has to be stuck-up and tyrannical? Pop culture certainly paints a convincing enough picture of that – even an American Girl doll for the 9 to 10-year-old set must be viewed as a threat for being “pretty”. The Washington Post returns to the argument that in comparison to Miss Parkington, “ Molly was different. Molly wore glasses. And plaid. In the book’s illustrations, Molly was relentlessly ordinary-looking. Her hair wouldn’t curl. Her socks were slouchy. Her pajamas were plain, striped button-fronts, unlike the frilly nightgowns worn by the other dolls.”
Molly, ordinary. Samantha, frilly. Got it. Samantha was just as hard-working and trustworthy as Molly was any given day of the week. They were both 10-year-olds in different eras of history and by default, Molly’s era would be plainer than Samantha’s. Molly lived during the time of “We can do it!” and rationing your butter for margarine and Samantha had roaring cars and fairly soon would be a 30-something in the Roaring ‘20s. I loved Samantha for being heartfelt and kind. She didn’t have it hard but she had the means to make other lives better and she did as much as she could for being a 10-year-old. They’re also both 10 years old. Let’s not try to expect so much out of a just barely double digit kiddo. When I was 10, I was definitely not doing as much as they were. My biggest claims to fame were outreading all the kids at the library, my crusade to get my parents to invest in cable TV, and nudging my parents to buy me a Samantha doll…which would later occur that Christmas.
Team Samantha always.
Images via fanpop.com
I love Samantha. I have the doll and (as a grown 24-year-old woman) was visiting the American Girl shoppe in Chicago when I found out Samantha was being “archived.” I stared longing at all the pretty dresses I never got for her. My unemployed budget would not allow me to buy everything right there, and now it’s gone…
She was the best. I’m so sad she’s gone.
I felt the exact same way about my Samantha! I remember when I finally got Samantha for Christmas it was like a dream! Haha My mom saved for quite a bit of time to get Samantha for me and every Christmas after that I received a bit of her stuff. I was obsessed that no one brush her hair because then her hair would look frizzy like all my other friends dolls. After 12 years, I still tell people, “These are her original curls! Don’t brush them!”
I can totally relate to this post! Team Samantha all the way! My sister and I both got a Samantha for Christmas one year…. we always had to have the same for everything. She even came to show-and-tell with me on more than one occasion. A few years later I managed to save enough money by myself to get Kirsten. I remember listening to my mom order her over the phone. My dad was mad I was spending all my money on a doll, but really what else is a 10-year-old to buy? I became an AG fan when there was four and began out growing it shortly after Addy was introduced. Now the dolls are stored in my parent’s basement and I look forward to the day that I can hand them down to my daughter.
Felicity all the way! I wanted the matching necklace she wore that you could get in real girl sizes so you could be twins. I remember drinking in every page of the catalog when it got to my house. Alas, I never had one, but read all the books
I absolutely loved that there is an essay of this size and quality in existence. This was thoughtful and thought-provoking.
For what it’s worth, Samantha was one of my favorites as well, followed by Kirsten and Felicity. I am so sad that American Girl retires anyone! If/when I have daughters, I am finding the original American Girl books and introducing them to my daughters in the proper way. This is sort of like how I would introduce Star Wars to my kids. Originals first.
I had an American Girl computer game when I got to make my own plays. I seem to remember using Samantha and Kirsten the most.
Thanks for this post!
I came a long a little later to the American Girl thing, being that I am only 20, that makes the originals 5 yrs older than me, which I didn’t know until today
I read all the beginning books and fell in love with Josefina’s story. I too was the youngest. I did have a mother though, but my brother and sister were much older than me so they had more memories about other family members, they grew up three hrs north of where I did and therefor with a completely different set of family, I only saw them maybe two times a year. They got, like, ten yrs of them. So I related and I always loved the Spanish language. I still have to doll and her Christmas outfit, given to me by my brother and sister. I have since donated my books to the childrens ward at the hospital so those girls too can find a friend.
I think the post is very well-written. While it is true that most people feel that Samantha is the prettiest doll, Molly’s collection always sparked my interest first. I guess I was the odd one who wanted a Molly doll, but instead got a Samantha doll, much to my disgust. Samantha’s stories made me puke. Molly to me was the most “modern” girl that connected to me. She had a bike, glasses, lunchbox, report card, things that I could imagine as less than historical (because kids hate history) and her personality was funny and lovable and not nauseating. She acted normal. Samantha seemed unreal and un-relatable. No one acts like that. Samantha was too sweet and generous. Molly was the most modern girl at the time, and so she connected to me. Her accessories were FAR more enjoyable for me than the Samantha I got. But I still liked Samantha all the same, it’s just Molly was always my favorite. But hey different strokes for different folks. I always thought the coolest thing about Molly is she had her own “glasses”. That was pretty cool how I could play with something on her face.
Team Samantha!
Team Samantha for life.
Thanks, Heather – great article!
At 29, I’ve never read an American Girl book, nor have I ever played with one of the dolls – they just weren’t the thing for my friends & me. Yet, I still read that entire posting about them. Idk why…but I’m glad I did! It was witty & fun to read. Plus, it made me wanna read the books & I’m thinkin’ I’m already a Samantha fan, lol. Good job!
Samantha was my favorite too! When I was in preschool I used to ask my mom to style my hair in “a Samantha hairstyle,” which really meant “curl it, pull it half back, and put a bow in it.”
This article has brought joy to my day. It is nice to see others talk about their American Girl Dolls. I would classify myself as a Molly girl since she was my first doll. However, I was lucky enough to own all of the original dolls. I loved all of them, and still have them today along with all of their accessories in my closet. It makes me sad that some of the dolls have been retired because they were my childhood.
When I saw this on HelloGiggles, I felt like someone had reached out and finally touched my Samantha-obsessed American Girl soul. For that, I thank you.
Oh my goodness…I have never ever laughed so hard reading about American Girls! What a fabulously well written article….not to mention, hysterical!
I have to say that I always identified with wanting to be Samantha. Molly just never struch a chord with me, although she seemed cute and sweet enough.
I went to the freaking American Girl store in Chicago (yeah, whatever, I went there when I was 27…but I live there, so it’s not like I integrated it into a trip) and imagine how incredibly disappointed I was to find this terrible fact out in person. I was looking to maybe round out her wardrobe, however, I was not so lucky. On a bright note, I feel if I ever want to sell her on eBay, the value may have skyrocketed.
Seeing as my name is Kirsten and I come from a strongly Scandinavian family, I obviously had Kirsten doll. I physically sobbed as a 22 year old woman when I found out they retired her. Partially because it had been a really bad day. Partially because that part of my childhood was lost. And I don’t think any of these girls are popular or not. They either speak to a girl or they don’t. Anyone who says differently doens’t get what it means to have an AG doll.
i sadly never had an american girl, but i always hated Molly. my favorites were Kirsten, Felicity, and Samantha. to this day i still get really mad/jealous when friends talk about their american girl dolls from their childhood. i would get the catalogues and circle the girls/outfits that i wanted…
Ahhh American Girl! I still have my Samantha & Felicity at my parent’s house also. Samantha was my hero and I got bangs to be just like her. That turned out to be a disastrous lapse in judgement but I loved her just the same. Did you know they now have a doll named Chrissa? I honestly thought I was one of a kind with that name. BOOOOOO to the next-gen American Girls.
I went to check out American Girl because I was in denial that they retired Samantha–unfortunately, it looks like Felicity and Kristen are not there either! Wtf American Girl!?!
I like how I posted this before I got to the end of the article–oops.
I think we all coveted Samantha’s nice things, but at the same time, those nice things made it more difficult to relate to her. I was a Kirsten girl all the way, not only because I looked like her, but I lived in the midwest, am of Swedish descent, and my father was a farmer. How could I not relate to her? On the same note, I knew I was never going to own all of the nice fancy clothes and toys that Samantha had. I appreciated her sense of adventure and drive to good in the world, but she just wasn’t as relatable to me. Having revisited the stories in recent years, though, I think her Aunt Cornelia may be my favorite character of all. She was independent, had strong convictions, was loving, kind, and seemed like she would be the life of the party. I want to be just like her when I grow up, so maybe I am more like Samantha than I originally thought was possible