American Girl Samantha 1986 Christmas Dress, Rare First Year

Description

This 1986 Dress was made by Pleasant Company the first year the American Girl Dolls were introduced. It was one of 3 outfits that were available the first year, the others were the Meet dress the doll arrived in, and the School Dress. This first version Christmas dress is bright red. The dress was changed to a darker cranberry in the second version by late 1987. The early pamphlets printed when the doll came out showed the dress as bright red. The design on the lace bodice on the Christmas dresses changed during the years. This first version with the "3 Flower Cluster" design is very hard to find, it came before the one photographed for the brochure and pamphlet. This dress was owned by an adult collector. The dress has never been put on a doll. The Velcro on the back and sleeves have not been opened. The dress was slipped down onto a doll mannequin for the photography. The satin ribbon and the original thick knit tights are bridal ivory in color. Later when the dress became dark cranberry the ribbon and the stockings were white.