My friend, Samantha.
By: Blake Changnon, CEO, President and Co-Founder of the Changnon-Piper Museum of Toys and Collectibles
My relationship with the American Girl characters, especially with Samantha - and even with toys themselves - began when I was a child. However, this relationship was formed out of a need for comfort as I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
Being abused as a child robbed me of my childhood. I lost my innocence, my imagination, my carefree attitude that all children are entitled to have. Because of this, I found a liking to toys. Toys allowed me to care and protect the things I loved.
My love for toys only grew from then on–through middle school, high school, college and even today. My collection of American Girl dolls has helped and continues to help me overcome the obstacles of my past, present and future. But the one character that helped me the most was Samantha.
My very first doll was Samantha Parkington. Samantha is an orphan who was raised by her wealthy grandmother in New York in 1904. Samantha is characterized in her books as loyal, giving, helpful and wants the best for her family and friends.
Her friends consider her a "life-saver" because she's "all heart and ready to help others." But Samantha is also fun and loves to laugh. I see a lot of myself in Samantha when I read her books, and still see myself in her as an adult.
Not only do I resonate with Samantha, but I resonate with all of the American Girl characters. Their stories continue to teach me many real-life lessons.
Specifically, the American Girl characters have taught me empathy for others, resilience from difficult and sometimes horrible situations, friendship for others who are similar and different from me, and self-confidence for what I believe is right and wrong.
The company, the characters, the mission and the vision have crafted who I am today and who I want to be tomorrow. I am happy that I can share my story and a small sample of my collection. I hope that my collection can inspire you to be the best that you can be.