ditto. my mom learned quickly to keep an eye on where my books were... i'd read when i should be cleaning or sleeping haha

besides, as much as i loved them, threatening to take away my barbie dolls just wasn't enough to scare me. :)

I always wanted an AG doll but my parents couldn't afford them (nor would they have paid that much for a doll if they could have). I've always been kinda tempted to buy one now that I can afford them, but it seems kinda weird to have a 24 year old buying a doll. I don't know which one I would buy. Kirsten was my original favorite, but then I like Felicity and Molly more. Thinking about it now, I'd get Felicity, but I want her in her original white print dress, not the current lavender.

I can't believe they are retiring Samantha! She was my first AG doll because I kind of look like her. The sad thing is my younger sister took Samantha out of my room one day when I was younger so she could play with her doll, Kirsten. I haven't seen it since and it has been like 10 years. haha

Awww, my real sister loved Samantha! I had Kirsten, which makes sense since my real name is Kristen, I have blond hair and blue eyes, I'm part Swedish, and I was born and grew up in Minnesota. But I'm really sad to see Samantha being retired!

I loved American Girl!!!!! My little sister and I used to go all the local book events, and dress up days, and doll teas that the local library put on (Our mom worked there and helped to set them up!)

I had straight, brown hair (Though it turned curly after puberty), and I had ugly, coke bottle glasses....Thank god for contacts!!! I had the Molly doll, and used to dress up with the matching outfits!!! We would usually buy a similar outfit at another store because it was expensive to buy it from AG. I still have a picture of me and my doll in the matching green, velvet, Christmas dresses from when I was 8 or 9.

My sister had straight, blond hair, and since we are of Swedish descent, she was a natural for Kristen! Awwwwww.....The good old days....

I have never even heard of some of these new dolls....I think I grew out of AG shortly after Kit.

I will have to check out the website!

Update: So I looking at the AG website....what is up with the side kicks??? I knew Nellie was in the stories, but since when are the side kicks actual dolls?

Bumping this to sadly report the impending retirement of Felicity.

Apparently Kirsten is gone too. Those were the two I had, and I'm kinda sad they're gone.

shame, felicity had the best bed by far

FELICITY?!?!?! WHAT? Are they stupid? I feel like Felicity is probably their most popular doll.

I knew about Kirsten. I was in NYC last fall and went to American Girl Place and one of the associates broke the news to me.

:(

ETA: Most of my AG books were ruined when the pipes burst in the basement on Christmas Eve, 2009. I was really sad because I thought they were fine (in a plastic bin) but the bin had holes, and my AG books took most of the water. I guess I should be glad that the pictures and whatnot were fine, since the books are replaceable, but I'm still really sad about it.

Oh well - I'm sure I can pick them up on Amazon for pretty cheap.

I'm going to sound like a smart ass, but I suspect she wasn't their most popular doll if they're retiring her. That or they intend to bring them back later ala the Disney vault.

I grew up with Kirsten (and Samantha and Molly!) but Addy has been my favorite for a long time and I feel like the newer ones are even easier to relate to.

My sister has a Samantha and a Kit, she loved them growing up. She wants to give my daughter Kit since they look alike once my daughter gets old enough to read. I need to find a way to recondition their hair. After a childhood with my sister and the last 5 years in the closet, they need a make-over.

I think it's the latter. IMO, Samantha was the most popular...but that's just based on the fact that the overwhelming majority of my friends who had AG girls had her, and she was first to go.

I was the same way, that's why I got Molly. She was the most recent at the time.

Just checked their website...if I were to get one now, I'd TOTALLY get the 70's girl, Julie.

Yeah but we're not the target market anymore! The originals are also the oldest so if you have to cycle them out it makes sense to choose those.
I haven't read Julie, I've read Kit though! I need to find the books. The librarians are going to think that I'm either really immature or that I have six year olds!

Felicity has always been one of the more popular dolls in the line. I suspect it was just her time to retire, like most of the other "historic" dolls. I also doubt they will ever bring a retired doll back.

Honestly, I've gotten rid of 99% of my childhood toys over the past few years. My American Girl dolls were the 1% that I couldn't bear to part with.

I also had a Bitty Baby, and am glad to see they are still around.

But what will Williamsburg do without the Felicity stuff?

IMHO, and I own none of these dolls, cutting Felicity may come back to haunt them. Didn't she have a friend?

ETA: Her friend is Elizabeth. They represent the richer & poorer parts of Williamsburg. I guess more little girls wanted to be Elizabeth than Felicity. For comparison's sake:

Felicity's bed:
http://store.americangirl.com/images/EB_main_1.jpg

Elizabeth's bed:
http://store.americangirl.com/images/XB_main_1.jpg

Aww I had/have Samantha (she looks most like me) and I was obsessed with that time period.
She is such a beautiful doll. I didn't even know they retired her. I'm very sad.

Personally, I like Felicity's bed better.

I better make sure I still have all my Samantha stuff safely packed to save for posterity.

She was the only doll I ever played with because I preferred stuffed animals...I had the trunk and million outfits and everything.

what the eff not cool!! :(

You could try emailing our sister (the President of AG) and tell her your sad tale!

My daughter has Samantha. We have to call her Samantha 2 because we have a dog named Samantha also and we had her first..lol. Samantha is safely packed away.

I grew up with two sisters, so its safe to say my house was COVERED in everything American Girl Dolls. We still have two or three sitting out in our house, but the rest are up in the attic.. my parents thought they could save them for their future grandchildren :)

Felicity was my favorite! I loved reading about the Revolutionary War growing up, and I thought she had the coolest life. I also loved Josephina and Samantha.

Neither Felicity nor Elizabeth are poor. Felicity is solidly middle-class. Her dad is a merchant. Elizabeth's family might have a little more money, but they both go to "school"/lessons at the same place, so there can't be that much of a difference. Or maybe there isn't anything "higher class" for the Coles to spend on? Then again, even the poorest American Girls (like Addy or Kit) somehow have a huge line of clothing and accessories to buy.

Maybe you are thinking of Nellie. She's the poor servant of Samantha's neighbors.

I doubt Felicity is going because she wasn't selling. It has to be just because she's one of the older dolls. Or maybe to make her stuff more valuable. I am devastated.

I am going to cry if (when) they retire Josefina. Several years ago, the hospital auxiliary here had a Josefina party to raise money; they 'bought' the rights and supplies to conduct the party from the Pleasant Company. I was so excited and plunged into the work...and then the Mexican woman who was going to hostess this huge party bailed at the last minute and I found myself in a huge Mexican dress with a script. I had to stand up there in front of hundreds of people and do the whole thing with a Mexican accent, using lots of Spanish. Women I'd known for 20 years were sitting there open-mouthed. :eek:

In spite of that, I still love Josefina (and the Bitty Babies) best.

vjioletpretty, I have no idea! The closest I've been to American Girls is buying their "trinkets" for friends' kids, and the little books from Chick-fil-a. Although, I really think I would have gotten into them when I was a child...

That makes me sad. I had and still have my Kirsten doll, her bed, trunk, and everything she had in her collection up through about 1992?

My mother took my sister and I to the Williamsburg, VA premiere of Felicity. We actually went on that trip with two other girls from our neighborhood. We grew up playing with our dolls (Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha, & Molly) for COUNTLESS hours...I guess this means the value of my Kirsten, her collection, and my sister's Samantha have gone up in value! :)

My sister and I each had a bitty baby with most of their stuff too! :)

I adored my American Girl dolls and books. I have Samantha and Josefina, Samantha is by far my favorite doll and books, but I liked Felicity, too.