American Girl Samantha Review

Santa would have to go a long way before he would be able to find a better modern toy for both little girls and grown-up doll collectors alike than an American Girl Doll.  I took great pleasure in giving Felicity and several of her costumes to a favorite little girl of mine a few years back and my favorite aunt did the same for me with the doll of my own choice, Samantha (the Victorian lass).  As an adult doll collector, of course I don't spend hours playing with the doll but she is displayed in a section of my wall unit behind glass and I now own the beautiful Samantha trunk crammed full of exquisitely crafted little outfits, hats, shoes, and bows (also compliments of my auntie!). 

As a doll connoisseur, I must admit that I don't think the American Girl Dolls have the same glowing complexions and sensitivity of expression present in some of the antique bisque dolls I have been fortunate enough to acquire over the years but they are still as beautiful as a modern doll can be (and of course, much easier to play with for little girls than the antique ones).  The dolls represent American girls from different stages of our country's history and they are all charming but I must confess that my favorite was Samantha and so imagine my surprise to notice in the latest catalog that "Soon, we'll say farewell to Samantha"!  Yes, in the tradition of many great doll manufacturers, the Pleasant Company (now owned by Mattel) are suddenly and without explanation retiring a popular favorite.  It won't be long before Samantha and her good friend, Nellie, to say nothing of Samantha's dog, Jip, will be hiking down that long road into the sunset of doll immortality, into the next world otherwise known as the "American Girl Archives."

MY VIEWPOINT:

Every day it becomes harder to predict the future.  Who knows who will win the election or what the stock market will be doing a week from now?  However, as a doll collector from way back, I can tell you what's going to happen in American Girl Land.  As time goes on and the Pleasant Company begins to use up their available Samantha and Nellie inventory, the value of these dolls and their wardrobes is going to escalate faster than a feverish temperature during cold and flu season.  If you were looking for a good investment, this is it. 

I hope that no one tries to hoard these beautiful toys just for their cash value but by the same token, Samantha may be a particularly good choice for savvy little girls and doll collectors this holiday season.  Further I must add that I have noticed a distressing tendency on the part of some people to cavalierly give their kids' toys away or sell them for a few dollars at garage sales.  If there is a Samantha (or any other kind of American Girl Doll) in your family at the present time, you might want to hang on to her because as a doll collector from way back, I can assure you that today's beautiful doll may someday be a future generation's priceless antique.