Samantha is the Doll of the Week this week!

Samantha was released on September 14, 1986 as part of the original 3 dolls- the American Girls Collection- alongside Kirsten and Molly. She has the Classic face mold, blackish-brown hair, and decal brown eyes that were only used for her and Ivy Ling. Her meet outfit was a black, white and red checkered dress from 1986 until 2009 and a pink dress from 2014 on.

Samantha lives in the fictional town of Mount Bedford, New York for the first five books in her series, and moves to New York City in Changes for Samantha. Her parents, Lydia and her unnamed dad, died in a boating accident when Samantha was only five, so she lives with her Grandmary and, later on, her Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia. She is from 1904.

In Meet Samantha, a new servant girl named Nellie moves in next door. Samantha befriends her and the two go on a journey together. In Samantha Learns A Lesson, Samantha starts a 'school' for Nellie so she can get out of second grade, and Nellie teaches her the truth about the factories that are glamorized in her mind. In Samantha's Surprise, her Christmas plans fall flat after Aunt Cornelia comes to visit, but Samantha learns she can have fun- even if it's a little bit different than normal. In Happy Birthday, Samantha, she visits NYC for her birthday- and ends up on an adventure trying to find Cornelia's dog Jip. In Samantha Saves The Day, Samantha gets stuck on an island after she goes exploring- and she must find out how to save herself and her friends. Finally, in Changes For Samantha, she moves to NYC to live with Uncle Gard... and must save Nellie from living in a cruel orphanage.

Samantha retired in 2009, presumably to make room for Rebecca from 1914, but came back in 2014 for the launch of the BeForever line. Since then, she was cubed in 2017.