Bed I (RETIRED)

[C.I.Fairfield]

This item was released in 1986 and retired in 2008 with the first archival of Samantha's collection.

Samantha sleeps in a shiny brass-plated bed. It's a four-poster with a curvy Victorian headboard. Her soft white mattress is covered with a lace-trimmed spread tufted with pink ribbons. Her fluffy pillow is edged in ruffles, lace, and ribbons, too.


I got thisas an early Christmas present off E-Bay. I have the pre-Mattel version (the bedding is tagged "Made in China for Pleasant Company."

The bedstead itself is brass plate, with curlicues on the head and footboard. The mattress is supported by rails and covered in heavy canvas. There is no sheet. The coverlet is white cotton tufted with pink ribbon on top, with three ruffled sides trimmed with lace. The pillow is ruffled, trimmed in th same lace, with a rosette of the same pink ribbon on one corner. The trimming on the bed is the same trim as on Samantha's nightgown!

The bed is very nice and soft, and certainly wide enough for one doll (or two on their sides close together.) The coverlet is a little stiff and, as it is made to go under the pillow, is a little long when you put a doll under it.

Because the bedding is white, it has high potential for getting dirty. However, as noted my set is pre-Mattel and seems to be pristine - no stains or marks, and the white is the same color as my Sam's (new) nightgown. With care, it seems to hold up very well.

Overall, I rate the set an A-.

[samo22]

I agree that the cover is stiff and kind of awkward if you actually want to tuck Samantha in. You have to put her arms over it to get it to stay flat. The other thing I don't like about her bed is that if you have cats or dogs the fabric seems to attract hair like a magnet. I don't let my cats on my doll furniture and somehow there is still hair that I have to clean off it every other day. Besides these things, I still really like the bed. It seems very sturdy. I also like the pink ribbon and the matching pillow. Still, I wish there was a bottom sheet, although I don't know if this is historically accurate.

B+

[scandia]

The bed per se- the metal part- has lasted me 10 years with little if any corrosion. However, I noticed earlier this year that the comforter and the mattress both had rust (?) stains. And the comforter got it on the underneath side that would not touch metal. The fabric does attract dust easily. Otherwise very beautiful and historically accurate. A for the bed, B for the bedding.

[PleasantMemories]

B:
This is a classic doll bed. However, it continues to be a favorite of many girls. The brass-plated bed comes with a mattress, comforter and pillow.

The frame is relatively substantial. It doesn’t require a lot of storage space because it can be easily assembled and dismantled. One nice feature of this bed is that is can nicely hold two dolls. Unfortunately, the brass dulls overtime and shows fingerprints.

I purchased my first Samantha bed in 1988. However, the first bed must have been wet when it was brass-plated, because the brass began to chip off. Pleasant Company replaced the bed without a problem in the mid-to-late 90s.

The mattress from 1988 is thick, white and feels like it could be down. It has gotten a little lumpy overtime, but isn’t too bad. Also, it's long and wide enough to cover the bottom of the bed frame. Unfortunately, the newer mattress is identical to Felicity’s and is too narrow for the bed. It doesn’t fit quite right.

One thing that continues to bother me about Samantha’s bed and AG beds in general, is that they don’t come with sheets. Thus, there is nothing between Samantha’s mattress and comforter. The comforter is nice and thick and fit’s nicely on Samantha’s bed. The comforter from 1988 and the mid/late 90s are very similar. The newer comforter isn’t as stark as the older comforter, has slightly different lace, and the ribbons are a darker pink. It could be worth noting that the lace on the older comforter has yellowed a tiny bit.

The pillow is made of the same material as the comforter and matches nicely with the set. I do wish that there was a second pillow, as the pillow looks strange in the center of the bed.

Note: The bedding isn’t as thick as it appears in the picture. The two comforters are stacked.

[1994samanthafan]

I have this bed. Love the bed, not so fond of the bedding - its a little bulky. Another thing I wish they had done is glue/solder those little ball things on top of the bedposts on. Mine are long gone.
Bed - A-
Bedding- B

[Danibananni]

I love the bed because it is so easy to put together. My only complaint is that the pillow it comes with is very flat.

[Deleted]

I wish the knobs didn't come off. I got mine on ebay with two knobs missing and my kids are constantly removing the other two. I love it though. Really sweet piece.

[PleasantMemories]

Samantha's Bedding on Rebecca's Bed:

I really like this look in person, and the bedding fits well. However, after I took the picture, I realized that I should have used my daughter's Samantha bedding. The bows on her bedspread and pillow, purchased in 2008, almost match Rebecca's bed perfectly. The bows on my mid-1990s bedding are significantly brighter and darker, and the ones on my 1988 bedding are more vibrant still.

Rebecca's Bedding on Samantha's Bed:

Unfortunately, I think Rebecca's bedding is a tiny bit too small for Samantha's bed. Also, because Rebecca's bedspread is significantly thinner than Samantha's, I didn't think it was quite plush enough.

I'm not sure why, but here's one with both Samantha and Rebecca's Bedding on Samantha's Bed:

[chernayakoshka]

I need to take a moment to describe how awesome it was to receive Samantha's bed as a child. When I (and later, my sister) started seriously looking at American Girl dolls, my parents were astounded at the prices. They decided that they would buy us our first dolls, but if we wanted more from the catalogs, we'd have to save our holiday money and purchase it ourselves. Sometimes they'd get us an outfit for Christmas, though the expectation was that our dolls would be supplemented via more financially efficient means. And we were cool with that. So, with that in mind, imagine my surprise on Christmas 1997 when I opened a large box to reveal Samantha's bed! I'd received a lot of doll clothes that year to dress my Samantha, who I'd been gifted for my birthday earlier in the year, but all of them had been purchased at the various craft shows that my small town loved...to get not only something from American Girl, but a BED, was a concept that my six-year-old mind had a hard time processing. Needless to say, it was a good Christmas. My mum sometimes still brings it up: "Remember the year that you got Samantha's bed? I don't think I've ever seen you so shocked and excited!" But, anyway, on to the review...

The Frame

So, at this point, my Samantha's bed is almost 22 years old and I'm super impressed with how well it's held up! The headboard and foot board feature brass curlicues with a painted plastic knob on each corner. The frame under the mattress has brass bars to support the bedding. One of the things I love about this set is how easy it is to store - the under frame just slides into the head and foot boards. No screws, no tools needed, very easy to put together and take apart. My bed was stored flat in a plastic tub for almost 13 years and still looks great! When I pulled it out recently to display, I expected to find rust stains on the fabric and to have to polish the brass. Instead, the bed that I pulled out looked pristine! The brass has held up very well over the years and the frame clipped right together like it always has. The style suits Samantha and is so elegant and delicate in that delightful Victorian way. The frame is sturdy and mine, at least, hasn't dulled at all.





The Bedding

My mattress is thick and, I imagine, relatively comfortable. The padding in it is still evenly distributed after all these years. The comforter is plush and elegant with its pink bows and the pillow is nice and plump (though the thought of sleeping on something so nice makes me shudder). Like many of the historical beds, this one doesn't come with sheets, which always bothered me as a kid (and as an aside, my grandmother made me a complete bedding set for this bed, sheets and all, but I don't have any pictures of it). My single complaint about this set is how awkward it looks when there's a doll actually in the bed. The comforter is so plush and stiff that it looks very bulky when there's a doll tucked into it. Still, I like the look of this set and am pleased to have it for Samantha. I'd give it a solid A.

[keeperofthepast]

I don't have this, but I have seen it and Samantha's bed is simply gorgeous. It's brass with lovely scrolls and flouncy lace coverings. Apparently it's also well favored by pets.