I remember when I was in 3rd grade EVERYONE (including my best friend at the time) wanted Samantha, although for some reason unlike them I had always adored Kirsten for a long time. Anyways, I'm not sure what the popular attraction to Samantha was, but I think it is safe to say that she was and still is the most popular AG. There are several thoughts I have as to why this might be. First of all, I think it has a lot to do with her more "feminine" style. Generalizing a bit, girls who are into dolls can relate to this. Kirsten was a bit more down-to-earth with her pioneer practicality, and Molly was a bit more of a tom boy and didn't have quite as feminine of clothes. (At that time there was no Felicity, Addy, Kit, Kaya, Josefina, or AGTs... but I think we can keep going and saying that Addy was like Kirsten, Kit is less "feminine" like Molly, Kaya is not as easy for most girls to relate to, and Josefina likewise might not be as easy to relate to because her outfits are so culturally-entrenched and not something that most girls today can relate to well, and likewise with Felicity). Putting the problematic classification of calling Samantha "Victorian" aside, I think that there is something about the so-called Victorian era or fin-de-si?cle styles here in the States that still holds a bit of nastalgia. People still build Victorian-style homes (they were especially popular back in the mid-90's), you can still buy Victorian-style or Edwardian-style furniture and decor (Bombay company has several Edwardian-looking pieces, Tiffany-style lights are hugely popular on QVC, etc). There's something about it that still attracts a lot of people, and perhaps many mothers or grandmothers pass on this particular taste to their daughters. Another possible explanation is that AG is generally marketed towards a upper-middle class or upper-class clientelle. Now this is not always true, it holds some weight, generally speaking. (After all, they do have their stores on Michigan Avenue and 5th Avenue, undoubtedly two of the most upper-class shopping streets in the U.S.) If you think about it, what can those girls who are from the mid-to-upper middle class or upper class relate to most? A girl like Samantha, who unlike Kirsten, Addy, Kit, or Molly, doesn't have a lot of concerns about penny-pinching and can instead enjoy leisurely activities a la the Victorians. (OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but there must be some contaigen from their parent's tastes and socio-economic status that trickles down to girls' overwhelming preference for Samantha). So, I don't want to generalize and say that no one who isn't from the middle or upper classes can enjoy AG, and certainly lots of girls can enjoy any of the AGs regardless of their family's economic status, but I think that it is worth taking into account. Anyways, those are just a few of my thoughts...