Beforever American Girl Samantha
Hi everyone!
This past spring, I purchased my first brand-new American Girl doll.
I chose this lovely lady because she was one of my favorite AG dolls growing up (tied with Kristen!)
I loved her tomboy personality and used to drool over her gorgeous accessories every time a Pleasant Company catalog arrived in the mail.
When I pulled Samantha out of her box, I was so pleased with how gorgeous she was! I don't think the online photos really did justice to what a pretty doll she is in person.
I know there's been quite a lot of debate over her frilly pink dress and how the Samantha we grew up with wouldn't be caught dead in pink, but if you sort of cast that aside, I think it's very pretty and goes really nicely with her complexion.
She also has on white tights and shiny patent leather Mary Janes.
Her brown hair is shiny and gorgeous and tied back in a thick red velvety ribbon. It is so soft and bouncy and a total dream to brush. I think this is my favorite doll hair texture I've ever seen.
Sam's face is stunning. I usually prefer the Josefina Mold when it comes to AG dolls, but when I saw her face, I was completely won over. I still prefer the Classic Mold with brown eyes as opposed to light eyes for some reason, as they just seem cuter to me.
Samantha's eyes are a chocolate brown with a darker ring around the iris and nicely detailed lines extending out from the pupil. I think it's nice change from just a plain flat brown eye that I've seen on some of the brown-eyed dolls.
She has cute blushing cheeks and pale pink lips. It's hard to tell, but her eyebrows are feathered as opposed to straight lines.
Such a sweet girl. From the entire catalog of current AG dolls including BeForevers and Truly Me's, Pumpkin Pie picked out Samantha as her absolute favorite! I can definitely see why.
Here are some "glam shots" I took back in May when the crab apple tree was in full bloom. :)
I am so happy to have this beautiful doll in my collection. I hope to find her original meet outfit on Ebay one of these days so I can occasionally transform her into the Samantha I grew up to love.
For now Pumpkin Pie and I have been really enjoying her and have already read a few of her books.
For any of you AG collectors, what do you think of the new BF Samantha? Do you have her or hope to add her to your collection?
Thanks for stopping by!
Farrah xo
Lovely pictures Farrah! I haven't really thought of getting Samantha because I thought she was quite bland. (DON'T HATE!) But I've seen some beautiful pictures, including yours, and I've changed my mind =) I really like Samantha and that pink is so cute and suits her very well :D
ReplyDelete-Lydia
http://dollyfernfriends.blogspot.co.nz
Hi Lydia!
DeleteNo hate here, I promise!! I felt the same way about her at first. I had loved her stories, but never planned on getting the doll. I had only planned on getting dolls with the Josefina mold, but then I saw a few photos of her on Instagram with her hair down and flowers in her hair and that's when I was like "woah, I love her!"
Hello Farrah Lily,
ReplyDeleteShe is great. I love her hair and her clothes. She is beautifully detailed!
Big hug,
Giac
Hi Giac,
DeleteI know, her hair is so pretty! I was surprised by how detailed she is. I like this version better than older versions as their faces also appear a little more colorful, but I miss the softer eyelashes the pre-Mattel version had.
Big hugs back!
I will always have a soft spot for Samantha since she is the first AG doll I had. Mine is an original/pre-Mattel, so her face is slightly chubbier and her coloring is a little different. I thought about getting the BeForever version, but now that I have Louisa, I may have to see about just getting her the pink dress! I know it does kind of go against the whole Samantha story, but I still think it's pretty.
ReplyDeleteHi Flo,
DeleteI was wondering if you had Samantha or not. :) That is the problem with AG dolls...they have such nostaglia and charm that it's hard to resist getting all of them! You should definitely get the pink dress...it's so pretty and would look gorgeous on Louisa!
I retired Samantha from the blog quite a while ago because she's very loose, and because she's an original, I don't want to send her in for repairs because they don't do the legs and arms the same way now. So she's dressed in her meet outfit and watches over the other girls.
DeleteSamantha has always been my favourite of the AGs too - she makes a gorgeous addition to your doll group! :)
ReplyDeleteI really love those outdoor photos you too - the green of the trees makes such a great background for the pink in her outfit.
Thanks so much, jSarie! :)
DeleteI have a pre-Mattel Samantha as well; she's always been my favorite character. I don't see why people think she wouldn't wear pink though. Her original birthday dress was pink and white, plus pink was seen as a boy's color for a long time. I think even in Samantha's time this was still the case, but I'd have to check my reference. What I don't like about Samantha's dress is that it just doesn't have the right feel for the time period. I think I'm definitely going to have to write up the post I've had bouncing around in my mind, as to why that is so.
ReplyDeleteHi Barb,
DeleteYeah, since I'm sort of a newbie to AG collecting, I didn't really get why some people were so upset about the BF new meet outfit, either. I think it's cute and more appealing to younger girls than her original meet outfit. That is so interesting that pink was seen as a boy's color during that timeframe...interesting! I'd be happy to read your post if you choose to write one up about Samantha!
I don't have Samantha but I think earlier versions of her (when the company first started) are gorgeous. Just one great picture can change the perspective on how you view a certain doll, I know it did for me :)
ReplyDeleteHi Farrah, she's lovely! I looked up her old outfit too, and I like both dresses a lot :-).
ReplyDeleteFarrah, your American Girl is lovely and does have great hair, your photos of her are really great. Her dress also looks pretty and I can see why you're so smitten with her.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have never seen one in real life I have to admit that I don't like the fabric body. I think they have great legs and arms, lovely hair and I really like the Josefina mould best too, but I really don't like the big shoulders and the body. It's such a shame because there so many accessories available for them, and soooo many patterns too, I have tons of those, not to mention all the seamstresses sewing great outfits for them too, but when I see one and the fabric shows at the neck or shoulders, it puts me off. Now if I could 'frankendoll' one, put the legs and arms, plus head of my choice on an all vinyl torso...well that would be me happy!
:)
Hugs Sharon in Spain xxx
Hi Sharon!
DeleteFrankendoll...I love it! You are so spot on about the boxy bodies...they look like the foot ball players of all of my larger dolls. I much prefer the body types on the Karito Kids and Journey girls. I wish they would at least extend the vinyl down the breast plate so they would look more natural in sundresses and swim suits. I think when they first came out, the dolls were much more conservatively dressed in historical wear so this was never as awkward. I am trying to get courage to learn how to use my sewing machine so I can start making them some stuff, though!
Hugs back! xo
Yes that would be ideal (glad you weren't offended by me saying that about their bodies!)! I once saw a Journey Girl in Toys R Us in the reduced box and she was just 15 euros, I picked her up in her box and thought that she had a full soft body so left her there, I could have kicked myself afterwards when I found this wasn't the case. I agree that the AGs would look so much better with vinyl down to the waist say? Girls could still sit them down, cuddle them etc but they'd look so much better in clothes. Oh well, I suppose it helps me not to spend more money on another line of dolls, doesn't it!
DeleteGood luck with your sewing. I started out just like that, I couldn't sew a thing but decided to be brave and give it a go, that was about 9 years ago now and I haven't looked back since!
Congratulations!! I can't wait to pic up my first 18in doll tomorrow. She not a AG but it a start.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! My first 18 doll was one of the Karito Kids which I got used on Ebay (technically they are 21inches) and I didn't get an AG doll until I'd been collecting for at least 6 months. :) Enjoy getting your new doll!
DeleteI agree with you, she is lovely! I think the new Beforever dresses are adorable! Samantha has been a favorite, I wish I had room for more dolls! We are full up!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures! I couldn't afford to buy any American Girl dolls, clothes, or furniture growing up, however, one of the first books I read was Felicity Learns a Lesson, I dreamed of getting what was advertised in the catalogues, and I had bought the Samantha Parkington's Sewing Patterns. I love the new Samantha's dress more than the original checkered brown one. I wish that she didn't have bangs, as that hairstyle wasn't popular in the Edwardian times, and the American Girl Company has since learned how to make bang less dolls since the Pleasant Company had first started in 1986, however, other than that, I look forward to buying her in the near future!
ReplyDelete