SAMANTHA PARKINGTON – One of the Original Historical Girl Dolls – TO BE RETIRED!

Although Samantha has been immensely popular since her introduction in 1986, American Girl wants to not only ‘preserve her place in American Girl history’, but also make room for the introduction of new characters and new time periods.

The exact date for Samantha’s retirement has not yet been announced.

For more information about the American Girl Dolls, visit our website.

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At first, the American Girl Collection (sometimes also referred to as the Historical Dolls) was originally available only through mail-order catalogs. By 1997, Felicity (1774), Addy (1864), and Josephina (1824) were added to the historical doll line up. Now, their combined stories spanned American history from 1764 to 1944.

Although each dolls book series provided examples of young confident girls of character, in 1992, The Pleasant Company took it one step further. In order to help affirm self-esteem, celebrate achievements, and foster creativity in today’s girls, The American Girl® magazine was launched. Currently it ranks as one of the top ten children’s magazines in the nation . Not only that, but it is also the largest magazine dedicated exclusively to girls.

In 1995, a line of contemporary 18-inch Just LIke You® dolls were introduced, that represent the individuality and diversity of today’s American girls. This group of dolls included up to thirty-two different dolls (several have been retired and are no longer sold), each with a unique combination of face mold, skin, hair and eye color (many from the original American Girl/Historical line). This allows the owner to choose the combination that best resembles herself. American Girl also introduced the 15 inch Bitty Baby® (1990) and the set of toddler Bitty Twins® in 2006 (for younger girls ages 3-6). Both Bitty’s are huggable baby and toddler dolls that encourage nurturing behavior.

In the Fall of 1997, AmericanGirl.com was launched.

In 1998, Mattel, Inc.-the world’s leading toy company – acquired the Pleasant Company. That same year, the first American Girl retail store was established in Chicago, and has continued to open locations in major markets across the country.

In 2004, the Pleasant Company changed its name to American Girl.

By 2007, the Historical Doll line had grown to include Kit (1934 – introduced in 2000), Kaya (1764 – introduced in 2002, and Julie (1974 – introduced in 2007). In addition to the main Historical dolls, several ‘friends’ were introduced as well.

In 2001, the first Limited Edition Girl of Today Doll (Lindsey) was introduced. These are currently known as the Girl of the Year Dolls, the most recent being 2008’s Mia.

For more information about the American Girl Dolls, visit our website.

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