Since childhood, I have loved Samantha Parkington. I own 4 and 1/3rd Samantha dolls. And like anyone who has spent a considerable length of time in the American Girl fandom (or too much time scrolling listings on eBay) I’ve noticed an amusing trend: just about any doll can get listed as a “Samantha”.
Now, some of this is understandable. Not everyone selling an AG doll knows the ins and outs of the brand and Samantha has two look-alikes in the Just Like You line: JLY 13 and 16. (Samantha's own face has also gone through many changes over the decades thanks to recastings of the Classic mold and updates to her wig and eye decals.) But some sellers are lazy. A quick web search would tell anyone that your blonde-haired, blue-eyed doll is not a Samantha.
I am not a doll expert. I can't immediately identify every mold and I don't know all their quirks. But I am a student of Samantha. Let's enjoy together the impostors, impersonators, and wannabes who are most definitely Samantha.
