Original American Girl Dolls 35th Anniversary Return | Glamour

It’s been 13 years since fans of American Girl could take home Samantha Parkington, a young orphan with Kate Middleton–esque hair who lived in early 1900s upstate New York with her wealthy grandma. First introduced as one of three original historical characters in 1986 by The Pleasant Company, the popular doll was actually retired in 2008, followed by fellow O.G. dolls Kirsten Larson in 2009 and Molly McIntire in 2010. But now, to celebrate the iconic brand’s 35th anniversary, the company is—get ready for it—bringing back Samantha, Kirsten, and Molly—along with Felicity, Josefina, and Addy. The dolls are returning for a limited time, in their original packaging, original clothes, and authentic accessories. Yes, go ahead and freak out.

“I actually have the new Samantha here, and she’s gorgeous!” says a very excited Jamie Cygielman—the general manager of American Girl—when I log on to our Zoom. “Anyone who grew up with the brand is going to flip out over it, plus we reprinted the first books with the vintage cover art, so it’s really fun.”

Each of the six original characters comes in its own special 35th Anniversary Collection, featuring a signature 18-inch doll dressed in her original outfit and authentic accessories, plus the character’s first paperback book in the series with a vintage cover. In further tribute to the brand’s roots, each set comes packaged in a retro-inspired American Girl doll box and retails for $150.

American Girl

To be honest, flipping out is an understatement. My parents gifted me Kirsten in 1991, and my sister received Samantha a few months earlier for Chanukah. We both still have them, but this news feels like the equivalent of a nostalgic hug, especially after a very turbulent year. 

In fact, Cygielman says that with more people being at home over the last year and going through their closets, they noticed admissions to the American Girl Doll Hospital actually went up. “I think people started to take them out and play with them again, and thought, ‘Ah, she needs to get a little smudge off her face or fix her hair a little bit,’ so we saw a pretty big increase in the back half of last year and through this year as well.”