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I knew that would get your attention. 
Okay, so most of my Barbies are either fairly traditional or historical. I have ten: one in a kimono, one in Thai costume, two in cool designer evening outfits, a cancan dancer, a flapper doll, a Scarlett O’Hara dressed in Victorian period costume and one dressed in the same red evening gown as the one in the movie. I also have–on indefinite loan from a friend–Ken and Barbie in genuine Regency costume. They even have a dog furred in real dog hair!
Yep–I’m one of THOSE people. I like Barbies. When I was a kid, I had a Barbie and a Ken, and I appropriated my brother’s G.I. Joe’s so Barbie had some REAL men to …. er …. play with. You could even say that Barbie spawned my career. While other girl’s Barbies were out shopping, mine were being kidnapped in the Amazon by G.I. Joe (which always included some making out). Barbie, Ken, and G.I. Joe acted out all my romance stories. Sometimes my Mary Poppins doll even joined in.
But Barbie has grown up. There are all kinds of “unusual” costumes for Barbie (S&M Barbie, anyone?), and lots of artists like to goof on Barbie by “corrupting” her in various ways (Zombie Barbie is wrapped in bandages). Then there are people who appropriate her for fantasy heroines, comic book characters, you name it. And lots and lots of cool costumes. I mean, this woman on Etsy even has a shop called “Not Your Mother’s Barbie”! I particularly love her Picasso Barbie.
Personally, I would like to find the Jude Devereaux Barbie and Ken couple for a decent price, but I also wouldn’t mind an Athena or Medusa Barbie. Barbie garbed in snakes–why not?
So did you have Barbies? Or were you into baby dolls? What about stuffed animals? Do you STILL have any of these things? Do you play with them or just display them somewhere? Or are they hidden in a closet because you can’t bear to part with them? What is the most outrageous Barbie you’ve seen?
107 Comments on “When Barbies Attack!”
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I LOVE Barbie!
Though I’m not a collector, or a Barbie-maniac, but it is one of my best childhood toys that I’ve kept. I still kept my fave Barbie dolls w/ clothes. I used to have a jeep, but I think I got rid of it. I say that because my Barbie dolls are stuffed in a storage bin.
I also have Cabbage Patch dolls. My first one I got from my aunt and had brought w/ me from my native homeland to the U.S. She’s also stuffed with some other dolls in a storage bin. When the corn-silk hair returned, I bought more for my own collection. Those ones are still stuck in the boxes. Again, no room for displaying them and/or a display closet for them to be admired. And no, I won’t take them out of the boxes to get dust on them.
I had kept a few stuffed toys. These include gifts from one of my brothers, those beanie toys from the Happy Meals, and a few others. Again, stuck in a storage box. No room for them to be displayed, just like the others.
If they weren’t so darn-tooting expensive for me, I would buy some Barbie dolls that are dressed in foreign outfits. Like one from my native homeland and a few other countries.
Oh, and I had kept some other baby dolls.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:22 am.
A jeep! I would love a jeep!
Yes, I have a fondness for the dolls myself, I have a couple of other bigger dolls and the troll doll that I had as a kid (though he’s naked–the clothes went by the wayside early on). No real baby dolls, though–just foreign small ones that are not really for kids to play with.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:03 am.
Oh, I just saw the Picasso Barbie. That’s very artistic.
So is “Day of the Dead” Barbie. And the “Asian Warrior” Barbie is cool.
I do take a tad offense on the “Aging” Barbie. That’s just…
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:29 am.
There is a Day of the dead Barbie?? Off to look.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 10:10 am.
I thought that artist’s dolls were kind of interesting. There’s lots out there if you go looking, but I don’t think you’d like Trailer Trash Barbie, LOL!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:04 am.
Being a teenager in the 19660′s I had my collection of Barbies, and so had my sister who is 4 years younger. I remember we got the dolls as a present, but then we had to save up to buy the (expensive) clothes. We had all the Barbies, including Ken and the horse, and for years we kept them – still in pristine condition. When my best friend and her daughters came over for a visit, the kids played with those Barbies, but afterwards they collected dust in their showcases.
So after a bit of pondering, we decided to contact the Toy Museum in Mechelen and asked the curator if they had any use for our Barbies. He came over himself to have a look, and was so pleased to get the collection (with the Dior and Givenchy dresses) we are now life-long members of the Museum.
Those dolls probably were worth quite a lot of money, but now every kid can see them. I think that’s a lot better.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:55 am.
That is so wonderful of you to donate your Barbies to a Toy Museum! Yes, that’s a lovely gift to children everywhere.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:05 am.
I agree. That was a nice touch, Nickie.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 2:48 pm.
I was born in the pre-Barbie era, so never had one as a little girl. I did have baby dolls and played with them a lot. I especially remember a blond and a brunette, one given to me by my stepfather and the other by my dad the same Christmas. I always felt guilty because I liked the one from my stepfather better. Interesting, considering I didn’t like my stepfather.
The girls had a couple Barbies but I don’t remember them playing with them very much. Much to my chagrin, we made the mistake of letting them open their Madame Alexander dolls. What collection items those would be today.
Leia loves her Barbies, but it bothers us that she always seems to keep them naked. One started out as Ariel, complete with tail, and the other as a fashion model. She has a Ken that fortunately is not anatomically correct. To date, she’s not had any unusual ones, although DD#2 would salivate if she knew there was a zombie Barbie.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 6:47 am.
I love the Madame Alexander dolls, but I’ve never had one. I don’t know where I’d put them!
LOL about the naked Barbies! I kept mine naked half the time, too, so I wouldn’t worry about it. Some kids are fascinated by nakedness. *G*
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:07 am.
Well, you certainly got MY attention!!! Because, well, you know! I may be B here, but everywhere else…
I used to have a lot of Barbies, but they all ended up beheaded or bald at some point, the poor little things! I think the greatet toy invention ever would be a Barbie whose hair grew back! Just sayin’. It’d make the life o many little girls out there much less painful.
Now, I do have my stuffed animals out displayed in my room! My room looks like the room of a nine year old child! Lots of stuffed animals and my fairies! It’s all colorful and bright!
No baby dolls for me, though. They’re pretty much always super creepy!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 7:40 am.
Yeah, I find baby dolls a little creepy myself. I’m not sure why!
I knew you’d like the Barbie post. *G*
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:08 am.
Lol my barbies used to go bald too.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 7:44 pm.
I used to have a Tiny Tears doll that I slept with until I was in high school. And stuffed animals. I have two that I will never part with for sentimental reasons. I also have a Barbie that I got in 1959 (I think). She has the blonde pony tail and a striped bathing suit on. And I do have some other outfits for her. One is a stewardess uniform (I know they are flight attendants now, but back then they were stewardesses). I still have the original box, even though it’s not in very good condition. I also got a few collector Barbies from a co-worker several years ago. These dolls are still in the original boxes and beautiful. But they sit on a shelf in my closet. I have two of Scarlett in the dress from the barbeque at Twelve Oaks and another is Scarlett in that green drapery gown. I also have a Princess Bride Barbie; an exotic Barbie wearing a gorgeous green sari and a grand entrance Barbie wearing lovely pink gown. My grand-daughters were into Barbies when they were little but now as teenagers I think they have outgrown them.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 7:48 am.
Never heard of Tiny Tears. Hmm, I’ll have to look that up!
I can’t believe you have a Barbie from ’59. How cool!!! And I love the idea of a stewardess uniform. And ooh, a Princess Bride Barbie! That would be SO cool.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:14 am.
Tiny Tears was a baby doll. If you fed her a bottle of water, she would wet her diaper. LOL Of course my mother never let my sister & me give our dolls a bottle with water in it.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 1:38 pm.
I was definitely a barbie kid. I had tons of stuffed animals and Cabbage Patch kids too. My sisters and I would play for HOURS on end, especially after we moved and didn’t ‘know anyone. I didn’t have any of the specialized barbies, mom wouldn’t go for that. Besides, we would’ve played with them and they’d not have been worth anything.
Lucky for my daughter, my parents turned into toy horders. One year, I received a box in the mail. It contained 3 of my old Cabbage Patch dolls, my Wrinkles stuffed animal, my Pound Puppies and various other stuffed animals and dolls that my sisters and I had. When unloaded, the contents filled my entire sectional (3 parts) couch! Lucky for me, they didn’t send down the gigantic box of barbie paraphernalia they hung onto. That is stored in their basement up north for when we come to visit. We usually aren’t there for 15 minutes before it is being lugged upstairs. Most of the clothes have disappeared over the years but the barbies, car, jeep, horse, pool and other misc stuff has survived. Back to endless hours of entertainment for the next generation.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 7:49 am.
Ohh Forgot about all the Care Bears that I had too. My muchkin has added to that number over the years. We now have a 13 gallon trash bag FULL of care bears!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 7:51 am.
MY parents didn’t keep anything! But then, we were moving back and forth from Thailand, so we really couldn’t store stuff.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:17 am.
I have never been a Barbie doll person. I had a stuffed cat collection along with a few bears and my books.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 8:20 am.
I like stuffed cats! I never had many stuffed animals, though. I’m not sure why. I have a few now, though.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:17 am.
A friend has two glass vitrines brimming with beautiful Barbies, mostly movie, fashion and mythology themed.
I had regular Barbies as a girl and loved them and her plane and her pool.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 8:21 am.
I would have figured you for a Barbie girl, given your connection to fashion.
You had the plane? I would have killed for that!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:18 am.
Barbie dolls didn’t exist when I was growing up. I had baby dolls to play with. My granddaughter has many Barbie dolls. I am lucky that my next door neighbor makes Barbie clothes so every once in a while she brings the dresses over so I can buy some clothes for the Barbies. I have many stuffed animals though. When my son and his family moved nine hours away, I gave one to my grandson. I told him to hold her whenever he missed us. Miss White Bear is now married to his Blue Bear which makes her Mrs. White Blue Bear. Simon has a wonderful imagination.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 8:22 am.
Aw, that was so smart of you to give one to your grandson so he’d have a connection to you. I love Mrs. White Blue Bear! Maybe one day he’ll use that imagination to write books!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:24 am.
I was never a Barbie girl. I think I may have had one, or maybe it was my sister’s, but we ended up cutting the hair off of it and using markers to “fix” her makeup. We were those kids. I love stuffed animals and now that I have kids, my old ones and some new ones of his live on my son’s bed. He plays with them every night after we tuck him in, sometimes in elaborate wrestling matches or army maneuvers. But I still consider some of them mine. My sister still has her teddy bear that she has had since she was born but I believe he lives in her dresser now.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 8:59 am.
It does seem that kids tend to choose one or the other–dolls or stuffed animals. I wasn’t big on stuffed animals myself.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:37 am.
The girl’s Barbies are in large rubbermaid containers in the basement. There are many, many well loved Barbies down there along with their house, car, clothes, camping stuff and other accessories. The girls have Barbies, Kens, Skippers, and on and on. None are precious or collectible except for the hours of enjoyment they have brought.
My sister’s and I had them growing up and our Grandma O’Leary taught us to make clothes for them. I didn’t know I could have gotten $25-45 for an outfit! We had some pretty well dressed Barbies even back then. But nothing like the Jude Deveraux Barbie and Ken – they are wonderful.
The girls will be home for Thanksgiving. Maybe we will take them out and “play”. Thanks for the memories Sabrina!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 9:06 am.
In Thailand, you can buy cheap Barbie clothes, so I did have plenty of clothes! But nothing as cool as what’s available now. You ought to keep making clothes and charge for them!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:38 am.
Playing Barbies was my favorite thing to do as a kid. I’m the first generation of Barbie players! My favorite thing to do with my Barbie (and I only had Barbie, no Ken, no Midge) was to dress her in beautiful outfits and parade her around her make-believe apartment and then march her off to work and then hop her home on her stiff legs to change into another gorgeous outfit.
Who’s surprised?
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 9:07 am.
I would have been playing there right with you!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 10:11 am.
What was more fun than having a friend over to play Barbies?
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 10:59 am.
LOL, not me! That sounds exactly like what I would have imagined.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:39 am.
That’s exactly what I did, too! My Barbies were clotheshorses. I would dave my allowance to buy new outfits when we drove the 2.5 hours to the city.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 12:22 pm.
I had Barbies, still do. But mine are like yours. I have The Wicked Wich Barbie and Winke Guard Ken. The Birds Barbie. Bewtiched Barbie. The Adaams Family and The Munsters Barbie and Ken.
I had special shelves made for them in my office.
(and now I need Zombie and Medusa Barbie, thank you very much)
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 9:25 am.
Okay, I want the Adams Family Barbie! Oh, and the Wicked Witch and the Munsters and . . .
Hey, we should do a trade. *G*
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:40 am.
Oh, oh! Forgot to say I have a Mary Poppins doll! She is in a cabinet. I think she might be wroth something. She is OLD. I thought I was the only one who had one of those!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 12:53 pm.
I’ll buy it from you!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:45 pm.
Sabrina says we should arrange a playdate because we have similar Barbies. Sounds like fun to me.
Posted on November 10, 2012 at 11:23 am.
I had a lot of Barbies growing up. Unfortunately, due to a house fire when I was 12, they were all lost. I loved playing with them. I even had one with ice skates and a crown on her head. Loved her!! I think it was the Barbie version of the Dorothy Hamill doll.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 9:54 am.
How awful to lose them in a fire! The ice skater sounds cool.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:41 am.
I have Barbies. I have the Wicked Witch of the East, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Carol Burnett (Went with the wind), Scarlett O’Hara, My Fair Lady (skin tight white dress from the races), Sound of Music, various countries and a few regular ones to play with.
No Ken dolls at home or G I Joes.
Mostly dress up but did make up stories to go with the clothes.
I did make some clothes for my Barbie because my family didn’t like to buy the accessories
I tried buying the Medusa Barbie but the person didn’t send it so got my money back. Boo hiss!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 9:56 am.
Clearly, you and Lori above need to arrange a play date.
I didn’t know there were My Fair Lady and Sound of Music Barbies–now I have to go search those out.
Boo hiss, indeed!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:42 am.
I had Barbie growing up with Skipper, and Ken. I also had two of her friends, one was African-American, but I can’t remember their names. My favorite was playing with them on the rock and roll stage.
I also had Dawn dolls. Does anyone remember these? They were about 4 inches high and looked like small Barbies. I could easily carry them around with me.
I don’t have any of the ones I grew up with, but I’ve started a collection for my daughter of the Holiday and Halloween Barbies as well as The Wizard of Oz and Scooby Doo series. (Personally I would love to have the Jude Devereaux Barbie and Ken just for me)
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 9:57 am.
I had to look it up. It was Francie and Christie.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 10:04 am.
I have the Dawn dolls. Dawn, Glory, Angie and Dale
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:13 am.
SuzyQ, The Dawn dolls triggered a memory and when I looked them up – yep I had them too! They were perfect for carrying around. Thanks for the reminder.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:18 am.
I remember Dawn dolls! I didn’t have one, though.
And all this talk of Wizard of Oz Barbie is making me want one!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:43 am.
I thought I had a Dawn doll but I can tell by your description I didnt. What was the doll that was about 18″ tall and long brown you that you could pull to make it long and it would retract? It was so 70s with a paisley maxi dress.
My favorite toy was my mother’s “falls” aka hairpieces.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 2:50 pm.
I know what doll you’re talking about. I didn’t have that one, BUT one Christmas I got a head that had hair like that, which you could style and change in length, etc. I was so excited to get it. But it didn’t live up to the hype. Nylon hair just doesn’t style like real hair.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:44 pm.
The one with the long brown hair was Chrissy and she had a sister with long blond hair named Velvet. My sister and I had them.
Posted on November 12, 2012 at 10:31 am.
Sadly, I think the only doll I ever had as a kid was a Raggedy Ann doll. If any other dolls made it past the threshold my brothers disposed of it before it made it to me! I have a Christmas teddy bear that I’ve had for years. If you touch its paws it plays music. The music it plays is kind of obnoxious and it drives everyone crazy. When they visit I pull it out and play it for all the times they tortured me in one way or another when I was younger. I’m kind like that! I will say, and please don’t judge me
, I have Xena and Gabrielle dolls still in the package. I’m happy that their worth has gone up greatly in the past few years, but they remain in the closet!!!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 10:12 am.
Good for you for torturing your siblings! I do the same thing, so how could I judge you?
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:44 am.
I love Barbie! My parents used to tell me she was named after me. (Also that The song “Barbara Ann” was written about me.
)
I have Barbies, medieval Barbie and a few others, but my dog went through a stage where he loved chewing on them.
In A Piece Of Heaven, the main character makes Barbies like the Etsy person. She also has conversations with Therapist Barbie in her head.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 10:16 am.
Oh, I love that! Sadly, I can’t use Barbie in historicals. *G* Although one day, I AM going to use fashion dolls, since they had them.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:46 am.
I didn’t have Barbie – but my best friend did… years later so did her girls… there were headless, nekkid Barbies as far as the eye could see in that playroom!!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 10:49 am.
LOL! What’s with the headless ones people keep mentioning? I never had headless ones. Naked, yes, but not headless.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:46 am.
Growing up all I played with was Barbie. I had a couple huge moving boxes filled with Barbie, her clothes, the car and elevator townhouse. One day I came home to find them all gone – donated. I was destroyed. So when I had income in High School I went out and started buying them for a collection. I can’t tell you offhand how many I have, but they remain in the box. I even continued my collection with my daughter, blaming most purchases for her, although she never sees them outside of a box. A few years ago she came across some dark dolls and wanted her own collection of Living Dead Dolls (their case is a pinchfoot coffin). To tell the truth I find them a bit disturbing, like the aging Barbie or Barfly Barbie.
The most outrageous Barbie is the Diamond Barbie – costs as much as a car, made with real carat diamonds.
I don’t have stuffed animals, never did – I always found them too creepy to me. My sister has a room full, her fav is her Paddington Bear from childhood.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:43 am.
That’s terrible that your mom donated your Barbies without telling you!
There’s a DIAMOND BARBIE?? Wow. I had no idea.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:48 am.
I had a few Barbies, but never got a Ken. So I made one – I cut the Barbies hair as short as I could, and I “sanded” off the chest by rubbing it against the side walk. I then took my mother’s eyebrow pencil and gave it a mustache, nipples and hairy chest. Ha Ha – I tell this to my kids whenever they complain about what they don’t have
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:44 am.
That is HILARIOUS! I love that–I would never have guessed you could “sand” off the chest!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:53 am.
I love the Barbie in the blue dress. Sabrina, maybe your readers would buy a set of those dolls if they wore the beautiful costumes of your characters on the cover of your books. That would be special! My grandson still has the little bear I gave him when he was born and he is now 16.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:50 am.
Good idea! I should do a line of Barbie SJ clothes, huh?
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:54 am.
I was a barbie girl growing up. My BFF and I would spend hours and hours playing. We had our own soap opera going at one point. She had all of the add on stuff for Barbie, like the house and pool, all the cars. I only had the camper. She had so many clothes, as well. I used to envy her collection. A few years ago she posted on facebook, about donating them to Goodwill. I was so sad to know that she had given them away, it was such a big part of our childhood. I still have all of my barbies and my Cabbage Patch dolls. I saved them for my girls, but neither one of them are into Barbies.
I am not a collector, but I do love to look at them. The ones you posted above are wonderful.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:56 am.
I like looking at mine, too. They’re just so pretty!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:29 pm.
I never got into barbie. I’m a stuffed animal girl. Yes, I still have them. I even have a snow leopard sitting in my room. I bought him for inspiration. While he’s cute, my hero is not cooperating so the stuffed animal sits and looks mysterious.
My favorites are my Mickey with Broom stuffed figures and my Figment purple dragon. And then there are the Jim Shore figurines that sit on my desk. I have a Eeyore, Sorcerer Mickey and a wolf.
I collect stuff and most of it is fantasy related.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 12:16 pm.
I have another friend who’s into fantasy, and she, too, was more a stuffed animal girl than a doll girl. It seems to be mostly one or the other.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:29 pm.
Not a fan of Barbie. In fact, I currently have 25 Barbies in “ethinic” dress that are still in unopened boxes in my childhood closet….For some reason, I just didn’t get in to Barbie. We used to tape Barbie’s hair to the ceiling fans and watch her spin out of control–highly entertaining.
I did like Baby Dolls, but LOVED my farm collection more. I think the Cabbage Patch Doll was probably the most well loved toy I owned.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 12:19 pm.
What was your farm collection? Was it animal figures?
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:30 pm.
I had a ton of Barbies as a kid and I played with them until about 13. I know own some collector ones…Romeo & Juliet, Marilyn Monroe from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, an Irish princess, and several Alice in Wonderland themed dolls. There have been others I really wanted, but opted not to get.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 12:31 pm.
Ooh, I’d love the Romeo and Juliet and an Irish princess one. How cool!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:31 pm.
I have the Irish princess one. How much are you willing to pay to get it? That will include shipping and handling in order to send it.
Posted on November 12, 2012 at 10:34 am.
I loved playing with Barbies. I also collected dolls with giant hoop skirts and feathery hats and parasols. I loved the pretty clothes and making up stories (why did Ken have to be so…. plastic looking?) I had the dream house and all sorts of accessories and oodles of clothes. I gave them all to the little girls down the street, then helped them give the Barbies mohawks and haircuts and w, like Haley, made them swing from the ceiling fans.
I still have toys around, though I seem to go mostly toward fun Disney things now.
I think the funniest Barbies were the Crack-Ho’ Barbies my friend made. I wish I had one of them, they were rather brilliant.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 1:32 pm.
I agree about Ken! Why do you think I opted for G.I. Joe? He’s so much more rugged and handsome.
I did see a couple of Crack Ho Barbies online. They made me laugh.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:32 pm.
I do not have Barbies. We were poor enough when I was a kid that we each had one, but only one. I had stupid Midge. I don’t know if Midge was really stupid, but my two older sisters said she was. And she wasn’t as hip as Skipper. Or as glamorous as Barbie. My brother had a Ken doll. I think he played with it once. haha.
This was pre-Barbie dream home, so we made her a house out of shoe boxes. Worked very well.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 1:57 pm.
Yeah, we were too poor for the accessories. I had a doll house which consisted of a wooden box separated by a wood divider so it made a two-story “house.” No rooms or anything, and the furniture my parents picked up wasn’t to scale, so I didn’t use it much.
But I did lots of stuff with my Barbie (I had a Barbie and a Mary Poppins doll, as I recall, and a Ken doll).
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:34 pm.
I love Barbie but I was just getting out of the doll stage when she was making her grand entrance. I see a lot that I would love to have but I wouldn’t know where to put them. Every once in a while I have to steel myself and walk away from that ordering button. I like the Medusa Barbie and really really like the LOTR Legolas & Galadriel. My sister lives in terror of me having another collection going.
My DIL is half Thai so my son bought her the Thai Barbie several years ago, that is one Barbie he won’t let his little pincesses play with. He gave them his Sailor Moon dolls though.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 2:04 pm.
There’s a THAI Barbie? One from Mattel? I just have a dark-skinned Barbie that I put into Thai costume. I do love it, though–it’s very pretty.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:35 pm.
Yes, she is gorgeous, she has the headdress and everything. Here is one link for her: http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/doll/thai-barbie-doll-18561
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:44 pm.
I just love “Theme Barbies”. They are fantastic.
I own French, Spanish, Hawaiian, Can Can Barbies and I still have my original 1962 Bubble cut Barbie. Theme wise I have: Mulder & Scully, Cleopatra, Renaissance,Titanic, The Munsters, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, The whole Wizard of Oz set, Addams Family and Grease.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 2:23 pm.
Of those, I’d definitely love the Batgirl one, the Cleo one, and the Renaissance one. I wonder if your Can Can Barbie is like mine?
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:36 pm.
My sister, two years younger, and I spent many happy hours with Barbies. We didn’t have a car so used shoe boxes that we imagined were convertibles. No Dream House, but we did have the camper. My favorite Barbie was Francie, Barbie’s cousin, who came in brunette hair like me.
We also had Johnny West, Jane West, Chief Cherokee and their horses. Barbie got to play in their world.
Anyone remember Kiddles?
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 2:38 pm.
No Dream House or car for me either. I remember Francie, although I didn’t have one. I don’t know who Johnny and Jane West are. Hmmm. I would have loved having horses for Barbie. I was into Westerns back then.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:37 pm.
Wow, I really need to check out the closet in my bedroom in my Mom’s house. The Barbie suitcase wardrobe thingy is still on the top shelf there so far as I know. It has my original Barbie, Skipper and Ken in it and quite a few or their clothes too. (That would be the 1963 versions!)I have quite a few of the manufactured clothes, but in those days there were lots of patterns for Mom’s to sew Barbie clothes. My Barbie (and Ken and Skipper) had a number of outfits that matched my own. Mom used the scraps from the clothes she made for me.
These days my Mom’s den is home to a number of Holiday Barbies. My Dad used to buy one for her every year and since he passed away we try to keep up the tradition. They sit atop the bookshelves in the den and reign over reality tv, football games and family gatherings.
I still have the first two dolls and the first teddy bear I ever received. My Grandpop bought them the day I was born. One is a bride doll whose original dress and hair have gone by the wayside. The other is a basic baby doll with eyes that open and close (which I assume was a big deal in 1958.) The teddy bear, Bernie, has traveled all over the world with me. There are some people who have not logged as many miles as Bernie has.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 3:02 pm.
That would be cool to have clothes to match your dolls’ clothes. I would have loved that, but it wasn’t really possible for us. My mom had her hands full just dealing with four kids and mission work!
How nice that your mom enjoys the Holiday Barbies! Then you can buy them and ooh and ah over them, too.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:39 pm.
I never had a Barbie. Seriously. My mother took one look at them and knew it was the gift that kept on giving and knew we did not have the money, so she just vetoed Barbie. I played with them sometimes at my friends’ houses. I have some old dolls from foreign countries, and a Madame Alexander Sleeping Beauty given to me when I was about 5, but otherwise I collect other things. One of my sisters is into doll collecting in a big way.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 3:23 pm.
The Madame Alexander Sleeping Beauty sounds gorgeous, although if you played with it at 5, I suspect it’s a bit worn, right?
Mom only bought me the one Barbie (and Ken), but in Thailand, doll clothes were dirt cheap, so that helped.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:41 pm.
I did not play with the Madame Alexander doll. She was a looking at doll. I could tell the difference even then. So I still have her and she is in pretty good shape.
That is why Barbie was popular, I think. She was a looking at doll that you were supposed to actually play with. That was new when she was introduced
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 7:33 pm.
I had Barbies, a Ken, a Skipper. I also had lots of baby dolls and dolls that looked like they were…five? Four? I’d get a new doll every Christmas and my mom would secretly sew them clothes so they had a new wardrobe. I have all my old dolls…in my mom’s attic! Since I had boys, there they have stayed.
Most “outrageous” Barbie: I only have seen pix, but author Kathleen Eagle has a set of Barbies modeled after her daughter’s wedding party. That’s neat.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 3:27 pm.
OMG, that would be so awesome! The Barbies I have are specially designed (a friend of mind who collects Barbies gave them to me), but I think having them look like someone you know or centered around something personal like a wedding would be the best ever.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:47 pm.
I loved Barbies growing up, and I always tried to take good care of them given my OCD tendencies–hair shiny and brushed, matching outfits and shoes, etc.
However, my nieces and nephews did not share that gene apparently. When they came over and I was told (aka ORDERED) to share, and they always had a tangled mess for hair, if the head was even ON the doll. Sometimes, they mismatched the heads with other dolls, too. Drove me bananas. 
I still love stuffed animals. I think I would have fainted at Build a Bear if that was around when I was little.
The hub will just shake his head and walk away when I start squeezing and hugging the stuffed animals. What can I say?? I’m cuddly…. LOL
Actually, my favorite toys growing up were pretty big. One was my ‘Honey Bear’ and he was HUGE. He was about 5 feet high and about 4 feet wide, so he had his own corner in my room until I was about 7 and my mother had to throw him out (he truly was coming apart at the seams). I cried for weeks and was ready to run away to my sister’s house.
The other was a 4 foot tall Raggedy Ann doll. I had her and slept with her every night until I was about 12 or so. I just loved her. I got one for my daughter and I’ve now gotten one for my granddaughter. They both adored them, and my daughter got teary when I presented my granddaughter with one. This one wore the same outfit that her’s did. 
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 4:16 pm.
Aw, you poor thing! It’s funny, but I never got so attached to a doll that I would have cried if it was thrown out. I’m not sure why. I don’t get that attached to things. My son was the same way, but my niece and nephew would go crazy if their special toy wasn’t with them. It’s very interesting to me.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 5:49 pm.
I had Barbies and #1 sister had Midge. Long gone, but I buy Christmas Barbies every year for my girls (who are now well into adulthood) and they love them. As for stuffed animals, I have lots. Mostly bears, lots of Pooh bears. When Hubble goes into the hospital, and I’m forced to stay at a motel, I take one of the larger Pooh bears with me; the bed doesn’t seem so empty, and I sleep better.
Most of my bears are tucked away right now, even Scarlett O’Beara in her beautiful dress, because I have no place to display them here. I do hope time wil change that.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 6:04 pm.
Aw, your Scarlett O’Beara sounds adorable!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 6:23 pm.
I had Barbie and Ken and Skipper and all of the crew. GI Joe would come into play, but when I was young the GI Joe was going through his minimalist stage and was 1/2 the size of the ones they have now. So he dated Dawn.
However the favorite today we had was “Outside” where we were encourages to “Go Play”. Which resulted in many a parent’s unknowing encouragement to “Go Outside and Try and Kill Yourself.” because we were 10 feet tall and bulletproof. Ahhh…Dangermouse had nothing on us.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 7:09 pm.
We got that encouragement, too. I wasn’t keen on it at the age I was playing with Barbies, however. *G*
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 8:42 pm.
I have Barbie Waltz. It’s a collectors edition, but I took it out of the box so that they could strike a pose
. I love that my Ken doesn’t have plastic hair. I really want a brunette barbie with brown eyes. I don’t like new barbies because they have a big face and can’t find an old one with brown eyes. I donated most of my teddy bears… It was hard lol. I still have a few I keep because of memories attached to them.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 7:40 pm.
I’ll keep an eye out for an old one with brown eyes, Archer!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 8:43 pm.
Thanks
Posted on November 10, 2012 at 3:50 pm.
I had a Barbie from 1961 with a blonde ponytail and the black and white chevron striped bathing suit (I’m kind of old, you know). I made most of her clothes as I love to sew. My favorite was a black satin strapless evening gown, tight to the hips, then full to the floor with a red satin rose at the hip. Unfortunately, when I went to college, I left her at home, along with my high school yearbook. My parents then moved to Florida and my stuff ended up in an un-air conditioned space where it all proceeded to succumb to the elements. Not only do I miss that doll and her clothes, but she’d be worth big bucks today!
By the way, I spent almost an hour clicking through the etsy site and I’m going back to look some more. The sewing quality isn’t great but her eye for color and her ideas are wonderful and her prices aren’t that bad. Thanks for this topic! I just picked up TTNAC from the library so that’s my much anticipated reading this weekend!
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:10 pm.
Hope you enjoy TTNAC, Karen!
I thought the etsy site was pretty cool myself. She had interesting stuff.
Posted on November 10, 2012 at 5:30 pm.
I still have my original Barbie (bobbed haircut), Midge & Skipper. I loved acting out scenes with them. I even still have many of my stuffed animals, this coming from a 50-something woman. Of course my children have added to that collection by giving me some as gifts for various events. They are displayed around my bedroom/office. The Barbies were hidden from my oldest daughter because she thought she should cut off all her hair. Never did figure that one out but wished I did. When she hit 7th grade she started beheading them & sticking pins into their heads. Since that was all the rebelling & acting out she did I endured it. She just thought it was cool to do it, not to be vicious. She did not like what Barbie was representing or modeling for girls her age. She is now in her late 20′s, in grad school to become a social worker, and can’t believe I didn’t get her psychiatric help when she did this. Being a high school & former middle school teacher, I thought it was just a phase she was going through. I don’t think she will buy her daughters Barbies. I guess some things don’t get passed through the genes.
Posted on November 9, 2012 at 11:57 pm.
She’s in her twenties–of course she thinks that you should have done things differently! They all do at that age. She’ll get past it, though.
Some things definitely don’t get passed through the genes–like my Mom’s uber-cleanliness. I didn’t get that for sure!
Posted on November 10, 2012 at 5:33 pm.
I never had a Barbie as a kid. I got one when I was 29 when I received one at a baby shower, which was ironic as I had a boy. I still have that Barbie doll.
Posted on November 10, 2012 at 1:30 am.
That’s interesting! I wonder why someone would give a Barbie at a baby shower?
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