Samantha Doll - White Body (WB)
Jan 17, 2010 16:10:45 GMT -5
Post by aquasapphire on Jan 17, 2010 16:10:45 GMT -5
I currently have four Pre-mattel Samanthas, two of which are white bodies. Another is a German Tan-body and the last one is a Pre-Mattel Chinese Tan-body. I've included a picture of all four for a side by side comparison.
White bodies (1986-1990) - My white bodies look very different from each other. The one with the short hair was my very first American Girl doll which I received on Christmas in either 1988 or 1989. Obviously, her hair has been cut. I have 3 younger siblings and the identity of the perpetrator remains a family mystery. The second white body I bought off E-bay recently because those curly eyelashes were just too cute to resist! As you can see, the shorter haired Sam has darker hair, darker eyes, straighter eyelashes, a smaller torso, and a slightly different face shape from the lighter haired white body. Both Sam's have the same speckled brown eyes, but the shorter haired Sam's eyes are a darker shade. I believe the darker eye shade is more common. Both have super long curled eyelashes, but the lighter haired Sam's lashes are more curly. The darker hair of the short haired WB is uncommon for white body Sams. The majority of WB's have the lighter wig which is much longer (usually past the doll's bum). As you can see the bangs on the lighter wig are super long and have a tendency to get into Sam's eyes. The lighter wig is also curlier than the darker wigs. Both of these dolls have very long flat neck strings.
German Tan body (1991-1993) - Generally, the looks of the German Tan-bodies can widely vary. Some were made with the lighter WB wigs, some with the newer darker wigs with shorter bangs. Some had the older speckled eyes, while others had speckled eyes with a new pattern which added flecks of orange. My German TB has the darker hair and the newer eyes with the orange flecks. The eyelashes are soft, but shorter and not as curly as the WB Sams. Her skin is squishy like the white bodies. She has a different face shape from both of my WB's. Her face is rounder, larger, and her cheeks are not quite as full. The Tan bodies are generally taller than the white bodies, and less curvy. Her neck strings are long (but not as long as the WB's strings) and round.
Pre-Mattel Chinese Tan body (1993-1998) - Sometime in 1993, around the time that Addy was released, production began to switch from Germany to China. The switch was probably gradual. If you've ever visited the Pre-Mattel Sam thread you know that Sam's looks vary widely during this period. My PM Chinese tan body Sam has a different face shape from the other 3 Sams, fuller dark brown hair, shorter bangs, and the same speckled eyes as my German Tan body with the orange flecks. Her face is the roundest and wider and flatter than the earlier Sams and she has more face paint which is uncharacteristic of China PM's (in my experience China PM's have the least face paint of all versions). Her skin is not as squishy as the German dolls, but still squishy. Her eyelashes are soft, but not super long like the WB's or curly. Her neck strings are shorter on length than the German-made Sams and round.
White bodied Sams
From Left to Right: WB Sam (1988 or 1989), WB Sam (1986-1990), German Tan Body Sam (1991-1993), Pre-Mattel Chinese Tan Body (1993-1998)
As you can see, the tan bodies are taller than the white bodies. The Tan bodies are also less shapely. The white bodies have wider hips and shorter torsos. I wish I had a Mattel version to compare. The Mattel version is generally even taller and thinner that the PM tan bodies.
Left - White body Sam; Right - German Tan Body Sam
White body Sams are absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend them! I would rate the white body Sams higher than the Tan bodies. The white body faces are sweeter and, in my opinion, the WB's seem to be better quality. I think the white body Samanthas are the prettiest dolls ever produced by Pleasant Company. The tan bodies are also very pretty.
White bodies (1986-1990) - My white bodies look very different from each other. The one with the short hair was my very first American Girl doll which I received on Christmas in either 1988 or 1989. Obviously, her hair has been cut. I have 3 younger siblings and the identity of the perpetrator remains a family mystery. The second white body I bought off E-bay recently because those curly eyelashes were just too cute to resist! As you can see, the shorter haired Sam has darker hair, darker eyes, straighter eyelashes, a smaller torso, and a slightly different face shape from the lighter haired white body. Both Sam's have the same speckled brown eyes, but the shorter haired Sam's eyes are a darker shade. I believe the darker eye shade is more common. Both have super long curled eyelashes, but the lighter haired Sam's lashes are more curly. The darker hair of the short haired WB is uncommon for white body Sams. The majority of WB's have the lighter wig which is much longer (usually past the doll's bum). As you can see the bangs on the lighter wig are super long and have a tendency to get into Sam's eyes. The lighter wig is also curlier than the darker wigs. Both of these dolls have very long flat neck strings.
German Tan body (1991-1993) - Generally, the looks of the German Tan-bodies can widely vary. Some were made with the lighter WB wigs, some with the newer darker wigs with shorter bangs. Some had the older speckled eyes, while others had speckled eyes with a new pattern which added flecks of orange. My German TB has the darker hair and the newer eyes with the orange flecks. The eyelashes are soft, but shorter and not as curly as the WB Sams. Her skin is squishy like the white bodies. She has a different face shape from both of my WB's. Her face is rounder, larger, and her cheeks are not quite as full. The Tan bodies are generally taller than the white bodies, and less curvy. Her neck strings are long (but not as long as the WB's strings) and round.
Pre-Mattel Chinese Tan body (1993-1998) - Sometime in 1993, around the time that Addy was released, production began to switch from Germany to China. The switch was probably gradual. If you've ever visited the Pre-Mattel Sam thread you know that Sam's looks vary widely during this period. My PM Chinese tan body Sam has a different face shape from the other 3 Sams, fuller dark brown hair, shorter bangs, and the same speckled eyes as my German Tan body with the orange flecks. Her face is the roundest and wider and flatter than the earlier Sams and she has more face paint which is uncharacteristic of China PM's (in my experience China PM's have the least face paint of all versions). Her skin is not as squishy as the German dolls, but still squishy. Her eyelashes are soft, but not super long like the WB's or curly. Her neck strings are shorter on length than the German-made Sams and round.
White bodied Sams
From Left to Right: WB Sam (1988 or 1989), WB Sam (1986-1990), German Tan Body Sam (1991-1993), Pre-Mattel Chinese Tan Body (1993-1998)
As you can see, the tan bodies are taller than the white bodies. The Tan bodies are also less shapely. The white bodies have wider hips and shorter torsos. I wish I had a Mattel version to compare. The Mattel version is generally even taller and thinner that the PM tan bodies.
Left - White body Sam; Right - German Tan Body Sam
White body Sams are absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend them! I would rate the white body Sams higher than the Tan bodies. The white body faces are sweeter and, in my opinion, the WB's seem to be better quality. I think the white body Samanthas are the prettiest dolls ever produced by Pleasant Company. The tan bodies are also very pretty.