'From socialite to shopgirl': American Girl Samantha gets a new story

In the year 1904, a 9-year-old orphan named Samantha Parkington resided with her wealthy grandmother in the fictional town of Mount Bedford, New York. Her unruly hair earned her the nickname Samantha by the locals. Stylists at the American Girl salon in New York City frequently transformed this doll into a polished socialite. Emily Friedrichsen and Amanda Holder, two stylists, meticulously brushed Samantha's hair, trimmed her bangs, and even gave her a fashionable twist.

Samantha, both a beloved doll and a character from children's books, was first introduced in the 1990s and quickly became an icon. One such doll, belonging to author Fiona Davis, served as inspiration for her historical fiction novel, "Samantha: The Next Chapter." In the book, Samantha is a 25-year-old woman in 1920, grappling with the theft of her grandmother's inheritance. This storyline takes her from the glittering world of nightclubs to the shadowy underworld of criminal empires.

Davis, who wasn't raised with an American Girl doll, found that becoming Samantha helped her niece overcome shyness and adopt tenacious traits. Mary Ann FitzSimons, the author of "An American Girl: How a Billion-Dollar Doll and Its Unlikely Founder Changed Girlhood Forever," attributes the brand's success to Pleasant Rowland's understanding of young girls' desires for self-importance and individuality.

Each doll came with a story, complemented by a chapter book and various accessories. The brand's popularity has grown exponentially since its launch in 1986, with one doll sold every minute.