Nellie (1904)
Nellie O'Malley is one of the Best Friends dolls; she is Samantha Parkington's best friend, and the two dolls are fun to play with together! Nellie has short auburn hair (and golden freckles to match!), smoky blue eyes that open and close, and a sweet smile. Nellie's head and limbs are made of sturdy vinyl, and her body is soft cloth. Her head can turn from side to side and her arms and legs are posable. Nellie wears a beautiful pale blue dress with a "Swiss dot" pattern, that has a wide blue sash and white ruffled collar. She also wears white stockings, bloomers (historical underwear) black Mary Jane shoes, and a blue hair ribbon.
You can purchase special outfits, accessories, and furniture designed just for Nellie and Samantha, patterned after items from the early 1900s. Nellie's special accessory set includes a white straw hat trimmed with purple pansies and a blue ribbon, a replica Irish penny, a blue floral drawstring purse, a pretty embroidered handkerchief, and a silver Celtic cross necklace. She also has her own tiny porcelain doll named Lydia. Some of Nellie's outfits are her purple kimono-style pajamas, lacy pale pink party dress, and her black-and-white plaid Christmas dress with puffy white sleeves and a burgundy sash. Samantha and Nellie's furniture collection includes items like a brass four-poster bed, a wicker patio table and chairs, and a school desk with a wooden seat and iron frame. The desk's frame has a beautiful filigree pattern with lots of "curlicues"!
Read About Nellie's World
You can read about Nellie and her friendship with Samantha in her very own book, Nellie's Promise. This is the only book written from Nellie's viewpoint, but she is also mentioned in several of Samantha's books. Nellie moves into the house next to Samantha so she can be a servant to Samantha's neighbors, the Rylands. The two girls quickly become friends despite their social class differences, and Samantha is always looking for ways to help Nellie and her family. Samantha even opens her home to Nellie and her sisters when they need a place to live, and helps Nellie keep a special promise she made to her mother. Each book has a "Looking Back" section at the end, which has historical information about real life during the early 1900s. Nellie is also a character in Samantha's movie, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday.
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