Bios Page 3 (N to S)
Bios Page 4 (T to Z)
Heather in CA~~ I am 25 years old, work as a recruiter, live alone in the overpriced CA Bay Area with my bubbies (cats) Oliver, Princess and the recently departed (thanks to all who lent kind thoughts) Tweety, I currently have about 300 Babs and they are, at the moment confined to 1 room, I also collect vintage advertising pieces, vintage tins, 50's coffee carafes, 40's & 50's eyeglasses and Marilyn Monroe (you see why I live alone - no room for other people!!~~Please no throwing of tomatoes, but, well, sigh, here goes - until the age of 16, the only fun thing about Barbie was that you could pull off her legs and head! (ducking) I was a child of My Little Pony and the elusive Gorgeous Creatures (you know, the Barbie type bodies with animal heads?) and Barbie was only for sissy's! ~~Well my mind was changed when I saw Mackie's Neptune Fantasy in a toy store - couldn't believe how high she was priced, but I also couldn't believe how much I wanted her! She's the one that started it all but she is still not a part of my collection. I started slow, maybe 5 or 10 a year and hid them in my closet - I mean, how embarrassing to be in high school and collect Barbie! Well, now they have their own room and I am out of control in the numbers department! But I wouldn't have it any other way ;) ~~
I also have been at VHOTN for about 6 years now, not a super-regular-poster, but I have met some of the most excellent and exceptional people here ;-) I have a loose Vintage Candi Satin Sonata - the hard to find blue version - with dress, coat, bracelet, necklace & purse (think the shoes are missing) free in a padded envelope to the first person to email me. Thank you all for being such a wonderful group ;-) Barbie Hugs to you all, have a blessed day! 9/18/02
Heather in OR~~After giving my number 3 and twist and turns to my little sister, who prompltly destroyed them, I was doll less until a wonderful doll collecting male boss gave my 1st daughter a crystal barbie for her 1st birthday. Daughter number 2 (10 years later) inherited that collection and started adding. I got a $20 Audrey off of amazon and now have, celebrities, vintage repros (and some real vintage fashions) any cool ken I can get my hands on and any barbie ken giftsets I can afford. Daughter one has james dean and raven silkie. I debox the faves...Liz is wearing Hispanic Sterling silver rose's dress, who is wearing Cher's mackie, who is now strutting in morning sun's gold thang. i do costumes for local theatre and love to try out ideas on the small scale (though 16 inch dolls are a lot easier!). I'm not sure what our total population is here, but with three of us collecting, there are little people all over the place! 9/18/02
Holly in NC~~I've always been a Barbie girl, living in a Barbie world! Well, not really, but my relationship with our favorite doll goes back to 1961, when I received my first Barbie -- a titian ponytail! I loved her, and loved Midge and Ken when I got them, too. My parents didn't buy me very many outfits, but I had wonderful fun creating clothes for them! Barbie and friends also were always part of an annual doll Christmas pageant I staged as a teen-ager. (Yes, I played with Barbies while I was in high school!) College and "real" life consumed my time afterward, but the love was always there and all it took was the 35th Anniversary doll to rekindle the flame. Now I have dozens of dolls, and favor Asian faces and costumes. But I'll always have a spot in my heart for that vintage face. Do I have Ms. Titian now, you ask? Alas, no! Like so many eager young consumers, I traded her for the new TnT in 1965. If I could have just one doll, though, I would want that No. 5 titian. And that's my story in a large nutshell. 9/18/02
Ivonne in CA ~~ Scarlett started it for me too!
My husband (boyfriend at the time) knew how much I loved GWTW. We had been to TRU and he had seen me drool over the $75 each Scarlett Barbies. So for our first Valentine's day he drove all over Los Angeles and Orange County until he found Scarlett in the BBQ dress for me. That was 1996 and I was 22 years old. And the rest is history... 9/18/02
Jackie in CC~~Barbie and I became friends long ago in 1968. My mother and I would take the train in BKLYN to the doctors office when I was little. 2 blocks from the doctors office was a toy store...here comes the bribe! If I'd take the shot like a big girl...we'd stop in at the toy store before we'd take the train back home. The needles were huge..but Barbie was my payoff =) First one I ever got was a TNT brunette..and 2 outfits. I remember hugging that bag on the train and the 8 or 9 blocks we walked to get home. She was perfect..and had that new smell to her. Every Christmas or birthday I'd ask for more Barbie stuff...so Santa brought me a talking PJ, and mysteriously he'd leave a Ken for me at my aunts house, a case at my other aunts house. When the Malibu Barbies came out I had to get one of those..and her beach bus. My friends and I spent so many hot summer days on each other porches playing Barbie for hours! Barbie did everything, she had the best friends, went on wild adventures. At age 13 my Mom felt I was told old to still be playing with them..so I boxed them up in shoeboxes, they were wrapped in tissue paper too..and off they went to the attic. When I left home for good in my early 20's..Mom and Dad cleaned out the attic. All the old toys were donated to St. Mary's. I took such good care of them, I know they were worth something, but I hope whoever got them would love them as much as I did. My daughter wasn't out of diapers in 1989 when she got her 1st Barbie...she had jeeps, homes, cases, friends, clothes, if it said Barbie we bought it for her. By age 10 she was ready to box them up..except for Kelly..she still collects those =) When I saw the Puerto Rican Barbie..that was it..I bought one, one led to 5 or 6, 5 or 6 led to dozens. So I've mixed my daughters older stuff with new stuff and in the last 5 yrs it's gotten way bigger. Now because of space issues, I'm buying mostly outfits and silkstones. Silkstones are addictive. I have a wonderful group of friends from all over the US..and the world that I converse with everyday..they are tops in my book! I'm now into making dioramas..mostly with non pink plastic furniture, but it's turning out nicely. I'm also amassing a nice collection of Barbie related stuff, parking and street signs, cosmetic bags, t-shirts, magnets,nightlights, etc. 9/18/02
James =-) ~~ Pics Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 More bio coming soon. Been collecting a long long time! ;) 9/18/02
Jan ~~First I'll say, I am a lurker. I look at the board but don't post very often. I started collecting about 6 years ago and started out with the vintage girls. I wanted a Bubble like I had when I was young. Now I have over 200 dolls. Most are NRFB. Since the Silkies have come out I have them on display. I love those girls. My husband laughs and tells everyone about my Barbie Morgue. The girls who are still in their boxes. I have been concentrating the last year on vintage girls from the 70's. Last month I bought myself a titian Swirl to work on. I have her hair done now I am going to try to repaint her worn eyelashes. She was very dirty and the hair was quite a mess. I live in Michigan with my two Great Danes, a cat and my wonderful husband. Both of the kids have left the nest so now I have more time to enjoy my dolls. This Fall I plan on sewing some fashions for some of my dolls. 9/18/02
Janine ~~ WEBSITE Hi, I live in central Oklahoma but have lived in so many places it's hard to say just where exactly I'm from. I still have my first Barbie and Ken and they are how I learned to sew. I taught apparel design and sewing for awhile at university level but I have been happiest the last five years with my Barbie clothing design business. I love a good challenge and like working with clients on diaramas, club dolls and table dolls for conventions. Last year, I did seven sets of table dolls....that was so much fun! I collect silkstones and Tommy.
Jean~~My name is Jean and I live in Dania, Florida. It's a little city right next to Fort Lauderdale. I have been collecting Barbies, on and off, for 30 years. I go through stages where I buy, buy, buy....and then I stop because I have no more room! But, I always start buying again. I enjoy trading dolls with other collectors and have made several trades with folks on this board. I do not post too often.....but I usually read the board four to five times a week.9/18/02
Jeanne~~Some of my best childhood memories are playing Barbies w/ my sister and two neighborhood friends. We'd sit out on our concrete porches and set up the cases and play for hours. Eventually I got *too old* to play but my Barbie's held a very special place in my heart. They were stored away in my Mom's home in Denver, where I grew up, for many many years. She was under the strictest instructions never to sell those dolls at a garage sale or anything! My education and job-training required moving around a lot. But I finally felt that I'd settled down when I met and married my husband here in Oregon. So on a trip back to Denver to visit my family in 1997 I collected up my Barbies and brought them back to Oregon *to live*. (see pic below, my 3 childhood dolls in the front row, and all my outfits on a variety of dolls in the other rows.)~~In the next year or so my SIL, a garage sale enthusiast who collects vintage, visited and we went thru my Barbies. She asked me what I was going to do w/ them, and told me I had "the wonderful start of a collection". In the next few months after that, the idea of being a collector slowly took shape, and there's been no looking back since then!~~I started out collecting vintage, but have almost totally switched over to the newer dolls, and especially outfits. I love re-dressing and doing dioramas. I love love FA's! I enjoy *the hunt* too! And I'm about as addicted to several boards, including this one (THANKS VICKY!), as I am to collecting.~~Personally, I am a stay-at-home mom of a wonderful 5-year-old who just started kindergarten. My husband retired about 2 years ago, so he's a stay-at-home dad. :-) He doesn't really understand about Barbie's, but he's nice about it anyway. I have a Barbie room that is sheer chaos, but makes me smile whenever I get a chance to play there.9/18/02
Jeff in San Diego ~~ I started collecting about 12 years ago! Met a body builder at the gym with an extensive vintage collection! My interests now lie mostly in anything silkstone, modern and vintage high-end AA barbies and Mackies! I have bewteen 300-400 dolls. I've met great people because of my collection and have learned alot about myself in the process!
9/18/02
Jeni~~ Hello everyone! Wow, what a great way to get us lurkers out. ;o) My name is Jeni and I'm from NY. I'm married, and a mother of 5 kids & 1 blue & gold macaw. I've been collecting & customizing Barbies for as long as I can remember. So long, in fact, that I can't remember who my first one was! I carried my childhood dolls with me through several moves, but alas, somewhere along the way, they were all lost. :o(
My first collectible doll was Starlight Dance, but I've had to be picky and only buy what I absolutely LOVE since kids take up more money than dolls. I debox them all (the dolls, not the kids ) and thoroughly enjoy them from all angles. (well, okay...the kids too):o) I have no clue how many dolls are in my collection... I lost count long ago, but most are playline. I just love redressing them and making clothes, something my daughter enjoys too.
I recently built a web site for my customs and have been working on it quite a bit, but it still doesn't have all the dolls pictured. I'll get the hang of this stuff eventually! LOL I've been selling on Ebay for almost 3 years now, but since my son was born last year, I haven't had a whole lot of time for that.
Okay, I read something in this contest about including a funny anectdote...how about some funny words of advice for those who sew? NEVER replace the light in your sewing machine with a turn-signal bulb for a car!!!!!! Trust me.... the results are disastrous! ;oP (Why did they make those things the same size as appliance bulbs?????) Hugs to all! 9/18/02
Jenn, VA ~~ My bio of my love for Barbie!! Have I gone mad or is it just a phase?!!! Well it started when I was 8 years old!! I had to have Barbie everything!! I had a townhouse, a caravan, a pool, a Barbie corvette and more!! I could play Barbies all day everyday!! Then I Finally put them away and they were passed on to my sister. I took up collecting again in 1996 or 1997 when I was up late one night and saw a commercial for the Mackie Jewels Barbie Collection!! They were glorious!! I just had to have them. Then I saw the Wizard of Oz Glinda(the first set) and I had to them and it went from there. I saw Byron Lar's In the Limelight and got her..wish I would have got 2. And I have been going crazy since. My collection is at 500+ right now, including pink box. I live in VA, I have 2 nerve wrecking, but beautiful kids and a wonderful man!! I love the new silkstone line and may never go back!! 9/18/02
Jennifer H in CA~~My Barbie Addiction started 27 years ago, when my aunt gave me my first Barbie on my 3rd birthday. I played with barbies off and on until I was about 13, and bought my first collectible barbie (90 HH) when I was 18. I mainly collected HH and brides for a few years, then branched out with the Snow Princess(X-Mas gift from Mom---yay, Mom!)and the fancier dolls from Timeless Creations (remember them?). Then, Benefit Ball came out, the first redhead I'd ever purchased. I went through a few collection turnovers over the years due to changing taste and finances, but I have re-purchased Benefit Ball, and for a while, I was trying to narrow my collection to redheads of every shade---but Mattel made so many redheads that I couldn't keep up, lol. Funny enough, I was never interested in the vintage girls, but I became addicted to silkstones after purchasing Fashion Editor, which was SUPPOSED to be my only silkie--yeah, right! 20 silkies later... So, now there is no rhyme or reason to my collection; I just buy the ones that I like best and sell or trade them later if I change my mind. My new attitude is very liberating, and helps me keep this wonderful hobby in perspective. I found this board a little over a year ago, and have really enjoyed chatting, sharing, trading, and swapping with the great people I've met here. And, I found Marsha, the best dealer ever! I also discovered the fun of OOAK dolls, but I have yet to work up the nerve for a repaint--someday, lol! 9/18/02
Jennisue~~I'm 23 years old, I live in Atlanta, GA, where I work at a Vet clinic. The only thing I love more than dolls are my animals. I have two dobies, 1 maltese (love of my life), 2 cats, and am aquiring another doberman this week. ~~I started collecting barbies back in 1998... My mom had gotten me some Christmas barbies, and my best friend started getting into the Disney Mattel dolls. Well, TRU has Water Lily barbie on sale for $40. I thought she was SO beautiful and funky, I bought her, and so did my mom. Well, my best friend & I had drifted apart since High School.. she had moved away and had a baby at 18, and I still felt like a kid, and i was going to college. We had totally different lives, with nothing to relate too. I was talking about parties and classes, and she would talk about being married and having her baby. Not what I wanted to talk about at 18 ;-) ~~Once I started collecting barbies, I would talk for HOURS to my best friend about dolls! We would discuss sales and our latest purchases. We would always spend an hour or two going through an entire barbie bazaar issue! Then after a while, we began talking about other things, but we talked probably 6 out of 7 days a week, thanks to Barbie! Now she has stopped collecting for financial reasons, and I have kind of gotten into other dolls (Yay Tyler!) but I will never forget how Barbie brought me and my best friend back together. I now own about 150 Barbies, 30 Tylers, and 10 Genes. My newest obsession is OOAK dolls and repaints.. I feel like, for the money, you get a fabulously handmade doll, that no one else has. It's very special.. Freddy Tan is my favorite!! I have met some great friends through my hobby, even if I am not as into it as I once was. PLus dolls have always been something my mom and I collect together. It makes it fun ;-) I have been on Vicky's board since 1999. 9/18/02
Jeri~~Hi - I am 33 and have been collecting barbie since 1989. I am originally from Jefferson City, MO but moved to Richmond, VA 13 years ago. After moving here, I met a guy who was into collecting comic books and suggested I collect something. That was the beginning of the end for me. I have been collecting ever since and my collection has changed many times over the years. Today I am basically into the Silkstones, Vintage, and recollecting all those that I had as a child. ~~I do not work due to health problems so therefore I am not on vickys board very often anymore. I try to take a quick look as often as I can. AND that guy who suggested I collect something 13 years ago - we are getting married in December! Finally! 9/18/02
Jim in VN~~Hey! What about da man?! My KEN bio.... :)Don't get me wrong, Barbie is faboo but it's Ken that I'll always hold close to my heart. Maybe I just like rooting for the underdog. :)~~ Can you believe that I don't have ANY Barbie memories as a child? I vaguely remember having a Donny Osmond (my sister had Marie), The Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Sasquatch! ~~I guess my vinyl fixation began when my partner Brian would always show me the newest Barbies in the catalog he'd receive in the mail. I would promptly roll my eyes and dismiss him! He had amassed quite a collection, not for himself, but for his sister. Little did he know what a monster he inadvertantly created by just showing them to me!~~I started off with many of the celebrity dolls and slowly worked my way into Modern Ken and before you know I discovered vintage and have been hooked ever since! I discovered a whole world of like-minded collectors, the joys of tiny zippers and buttons, and most of all the thrill of the hunt! "What? Someone is gonna fork up $10k for an old Barbie doll?!" It fascinated me! ~~Today I'm still a vintage Ken guy at heart, but I absolutely adore the silkstones (vintage at a nice price!), as well as vintage Babs. I've also got quite a collection of of recent girls as well. I flipped over Indigo Obsession, Moja, Yuming, and the Fantasy Goddess series. I've adopted Tommy and Kelly (notice Tommy gets top billing!) into my home. And all those celebrities still come by to visit. Some even come from merry old England thanks to a friend! ~~
So do I love Ken, Barbie, and all the gang? You betcha! I can't imagine my life without 'em now. 9/18/02
Jody H in Sask~~I'm fairly new to this forum, having discovered it over the summer. To begin with, I'm a 31 year old single mom with 3 great kids...my daughter, Samantha and my twin sons, Joshua and Dylan and our newest addition: a kitten we called Aerith. We reside in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada where I was born. I'm in the film industry doing make-up and set design but am sorta looking into acting just for fun...who knows? You could probably say I started collecting Barbie when I was 5 with my first one being Superstar Barbie and soon after Fashion Photo, Kissing and Beauty Secrets just to name a few. My last one I received as a kid was Oriental Barbie. Right now my collection consists of the Pop Culture, Hollywood, and repro series as well as the celebrities. I wouldn't mind getting some of the Silkstones but unfortunately I have to limit myself :o( What got me started collecting Barbie again was after the birth of my daughter...I bought her her first barbie in '91 when she was 6 weeks old...Wedding Fantasy Barbie. Since then, Samantha has accumulated over 100 barbies and myself over 50 and still counting!!! I'm not sure what my dream doll would be as they've already made I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched. Perhaps since I'm such a HUGE Flintstone fan and collector as well, maybe Barbie & Ken as Teen-aged Pebbles & Bamm Bamm. And I don't know why I didn't to do this before, being a make-up artist and all, but after discovering this board and seeing all the great OOAK barbies that people have created, I've just finished my first one. Her name is Jade and I used a Palm Beach Lea. I'll post some pics sometime next week if anyone is interested. And to close I just wanted to say that I'm enjoying Vicky's board and look forward to reading all about everyone today. Again good luck to everyone! 9/18/02
Judie in Montreal~~She is all I can never be ..She is beautiful and perfect. Her face is blemish free. Any outfit looks good on her, even a burlap sack! She has all the latest fashions and accessories and apparently enough money to buy them all! At 43, she looks like she's in her twenties. How many of us can say that? Not me! She is smart enough to stay single but enjoys the constant and adoring company of a man who seems content with the status of their relationship. No strings attached! Many siblings she has, I have none. And she gets along with all of them! She represents an ideal few of us can achieve in reality. She is Barbie. She creates my safe haven, a place I can escape to when I need a break. Since 1997, I've enjoyed her company and I can recall playing with her vintage sisters when I was a child in the early 60's. As Rod Stewart would say, she keeps me "Forever Young"! Thanks for reading. 9/18/02
Judy (JRAE)~~My name is Judy & I live in the DFW metroplex. I am 43 years old, engaged to the best man in the world & work for a department store.I have been collecting Barbie & friends for about 10 years.Both of my sisters collected Barbies for their daughters, not exactly sure how I got started.My first collectable doll that I bought for myself was Applause Style & I still have her. Through the years, I have gone through phases in my collecting. I am currently obsessed with Silkstones & Kellys. I have over 600 dolls, but have cut back on buying dolls, now I buy stuff for my dolls to play with.I remember the old Pink Chat board,in spite of the troubles that closed it down, I will always be grateful for it because that is where I met the women who have become my best friends. We share our love of dolls & collecting, but it is much more than that. We have shared the good & the bad in our lives. We all have different likes & dislikes, but I think that is one of the best things about this hobby, there really is something for everyone. I have been to 2 National Conventions & am looking forward to 2003.I didn't play much with dolls when I was a little girl so I am more than making up for it now. Theresa is my favorite face mold & I wish Mattel would do some fancy Theresas for me.I still have my childhood Francie, Casey & a few clothes. In addition to Barbie, I love medieval/renaissance faires, reading & old movies.I am learning how to do doll makeovers, mostly thanks to LisaB & her good advice. I have gotten some great ideas from Barb Talkers, this is a creative bunch here. Hugs to you all, jrae 9/18/02
Karen in KY~~Hi fellow Barbie collectors. I wanted to take advantage of today's theme and introduce myself. I'm a 30-something public relations professional for a state university in Kentucky. I live alone, except for my 11-year-old cat, Benjy.~~
Like many of you, I am a lurker here for the most part, but enjoy reading posts almost daily and especially enjoy seeing photos of redresses and dioramas.~~ Barbie has been part of my life since I received my first doll at age 5. (A brunette AG I think...she's no longer around to verify that.) I actually grew up not liking that doll very much...the TNT and Malibu dolls with their blonde hair and blue eyes were so much prettier to me then. Ironic considering my least favorite dolls now are the blue-eyed blondes. ~~I have wonderful memories of playing Barbie with my two sisters and my neighbors, creating expansive "dollhouses" and making up "stories" that continued for weeks like the soap operas my mother watched.~~ Even as a teenager, I kept a few Barbie dolls for making doll clothes. This was not a hobby I publicized outside the family. ~~Once I was in college, the dolls -- and their clothes -- were put away in storage for the most part, making an appearance only once or twice a year when I would make something new or just get them out to "play." Once I graduated and became part of the "real world," I kept only one Ken and one Barbie and they did languish a bit. ~~Then I started buying Barbie dolls for my friend's 5-year-old daughter and "playing" dolls with her. I bought her a Shave n Style Ken and Dr. Ken and Tommy and loved them so much I decided get one for myself (just for sewing purposes, of course). ~~Things still really didn't snowball until I found myself bidding on the Hallmark Victorian ice-skater doll at an auction a couple of years ago. Once I took her, along with the redheaded Hallmark holiday doll...well everone here knows what the bug feels like when it bites. ~~Learning that there were other adults who liked to take Barbie and Ken out of the box, redress them and create dioramas helped me to admit that was what I wanted to do -- not just put them on a shelf and look at them. Of course, reaching the 30-something age helped also. You eventually don't care how weird people think you are -- especially if it makes you happy.~~So now I am trying to keep my collection small. I'm up to about 40 dolls (mostly modern -- a mixture of CEs and playline) and running out of room since I also collect Barbie-size furniture and other accessories. I'm trying to focus on the fashions since they take up less room once de-boxed. I am working on a Web page where I can display my collection more completely. This also allows me to combine my interests in photography and design.~~I really enjoy my collection, but I think knowing that there are others out there who share my interest makes it even more enjoyable in a way I can't explain except to say that when I do have a great photo I want to share, it's nice to know there are at least a few people who get the same pleasure from it that I do. 9/18/02
Karen, MN~~Hi, my name is Karen and I live in Northern MN. I have loved Barbies since my first Brunette Bubble Cut I got for Christmas many years ago. I had many beautiful handmade outfits from my mother and aunt as they were both accomplished seamstresses. I had a few"bought" outfits. I remember saving my money to by my blonde swirl. She was so great. My greatest Barbie buddy was a girlfriend Kay. I think we played Barbies everyday during the summer. Our mothers never worried about us when we were to quiet, they knew that we were busy with Barbie and her exciting life. ~~I started collecting Barbie seriously about 5 years ago when they came out with the original Wizard of Oz set. From there it just took off.
My most recent purchase was a blonde swirl to replace the one I had many years ago. Some of the outfits that I have replaced are Sheath Sensation, Theatre Date and Nighty Negligee. I am looking for Ski Queen, Black Magic, It's Cold OUtside, Peachy Fleecy Pac coat, and of course a brunetee bubblecut. ~~I have two granddaughters who will one day inherit my collection. In the meantime I buy them a few Barbies of their own. 9/18/02
Karen, NJ~~Hello! My name is Karen, I am 47 years old and I collect Barbie's.~~Just like many of you reading this page.. you probably got your first Barbie as a little girl/boy for Christmas... or at least that's how I got my first Barbie. I still have my childhood dolls, one brunette bubble cut, one brunette Midge they are both in dire need of a makeover. I had a Ken... but.... he and Barbie had a fight.. she knock him in the head, buried him in the front yard and was never seen again...I can remember the countless hours my best friend I would play Barbie... She lived in an three story apartment building.. and when we played we each had our own "landing" on the stairs.. It was like we each had our own apartment for Barbie. It was the coolest thing.. we would spend all day on Saturday playing dress up with Barbie.. that the people who lived in the building knew on Saturday's that Adele and Karen would be taking up the stairs all day.. lol This is probably my best childhood memory of my Barbie dolls.~~I currently only collect the newer dolls. For me Vintage is just a little expensive for my blood.. plus makes me sad to see how expensive vintage items are when I used to own many of the items.~~I've been a re-collector of Barbie since Jan. 1999 when my hubby purchased for me my 1st repro.. Silken Flame..from that my collection grew... I bought just about everything I could find.. but over time my Barbie habits have changed.. in the last year I haven't really purchased any new vinyl Barbie's with the exception of the new SilkStone Fashion Model.... This doll is truly for the adult collector... This doll reminds me of my vintage Barbie's but with a new flare. I currently own 11 SilkStones (only one of each)... They are played with they don't just sit on the shelf and collect dust... I am now working on finishing up the series before the new set of dolls hits the market.. I have only 3 more to get... Fashion Designer, Delphine, and the Bride. ~~Besides collectiong Barbie I also do a bit of customizing... I really enjoy doing her hair, putting in eyelashes and even highlighting her eyes. I am not that good at giving Barbie a total facial... I have taken up sewing.. and I am doing pretty good at it... I still make mistakes, but not as many as when I started. ~~
I am happily married to a wonderful guy Tom. Who really puts up with my collection... He doesn't quite understand it.. I have two wonderful sons. My best creations of all time...~~So there you now you know a little bit about me.. Thanks for reading...~~
BTW.. I think my dream doll would be a Titan American Girl, or Titan Swirl in MINTY Minty condition...9/18/02
Karmamiranda~~ About my world...I am 40 years old and a military widow with an 18 year old daughter. I played with Barbies (mainly Skipper)as a child but was forced to give away those dolls because my Dad used to get transfered a lot through his job. When my daughter was about 3 I started buying her lots of Barbies. I really got attached to the DOTW series. At that time I was a high school Spanish teacher and the first Barbie I got for me was the Peruvian one. Then they multiplied. I now have about 300.~~I continued going to graduate school but I had to give up teaching full time because of Lupus. My dream was always to be a professor. I then swtiched my career to immigration law because I could work with my Mom and work when I am able. Now I use my international Barbies to decorate my office. 99.9% of our clients love the Barbies. I have also expanded my doll collection to dolls from India, the Philippines and Latin America. With the support of my doctor, I travel quite a bit and I love to shop for Barbies (as well as do research) in other countries. ~~I also collect Candis and Jennys. I am still in graduate school and soon will be graduating with another degree, this time in History. I really miss teaching, law just isn't my cup of tea. Because I am disabled, I live with my Mom and Dad and my 18 year old daughter. She is starting chef school in October. She is also a Barbie collector. I guess I got her addicted to it. My extended family also includes 3 dogs, a cat, a parrot, fish, a 2 frogs. I am also an avid cross stitcher but I haven't had much time to devote to that hobby lately. ~~I really enjoy the people I have met on this board. Everyone has been so kind to me and I have learned so much. Thanks everyone !! 9/18/02
Kathy~~ I'm 40+ years old, live in Orlando, Fl and am married with 2 kids, a son who turns 19 tomorrow and a daughter who is 10. My Barbie saga started about 5 or 6 years ago, when as a last minute additional Christmas present, my sister in law bought be a Solo in the Spotlight repro. At the time, I had no idea that Barbie went beyond pink boxes and Happy Holiday versions! Did I ever learn alot!! A few weeks later, my son surprised me with a Wedding Day repro and I figured, hey, this must be a whole set or something...lol! Well, thanks to the computer (back when I didn't even know what a cable modem was..the olden days!), I discovered there was a whole world to Barbie collecting! I became an avid "Pink Chatter" and then switched to Vicky's when she started this board. I found millions of Barbies I wanted, and like most "newbies" set about buying as many as I could..lol! Over the years, I have sold and traded and refocused so many times. I now try to concentrate on the Silkies and the Mackies, but since I have a 10 yr old daughter who also loves Barbies, I can pretty much justify anything I want by saying I'm buying it for her, ha-ha! Besides the fun of collecting, the best benefit has been the friendships I have made through Barbie. I know that sounds "corny", but seriously there are some of you on here that I have never met nor talked to, but who have helped me through both bad and good times via email. 9/18/02
Kelsie~~ I am definitely a barbieholic although I only got hooked about 2.5 months ago. It started w/ my mom. She has a vintage no. 2 or no. 3 ponytail that I loved looking at when I was little!! I would beg her and beg her every day to let me take her out of her vintage black case and dress her up in clothes that my mom had made. She would only occasionally let me do it but the times she did were extremely special and she and I would play barbies for hours and hours! When the My fair lady barbies came out my mom for christmas bought me the Pink dress Eliza and Ken and I would look at them every day but I knew how expensive they were and did not think I'd ever be able to get the whole series. About 2.5 months ago I was on ebay buying a piece of jewelry and for some reason I went to the dolls and bears category. I saw the barbie page and immediately got hooked again! I could NOT BELIEVE the gorgeous barbies and I knew I had to make up for lost time! 40- 45 barbies later my favorites are my moms original one!, my two Mackies, Lady Liberty, and Goddess of the Sun, and my Silkstone collection. But I also love my entire Gone w/ the Wind and My fair Lady also! I just can't choose!! As I look back I realize that I was destined to be a barbie collector and I am loving every second of it!! (-; 9/18/02
Kitty in IN ~~ My first B. was for my 4th birthday in 1964-yes, I'm a year younger than Barbie.
Since then, except for a brief 'I'm too old for this' period during junior high, Barbie has been a big part of my life. ~~My oldest girl is a #4 blonde, and her compatriots range from T'-n-T's to Generation Girls to Jenny and her Japanese B. cousins.~~And, being the sweetheart that she is, Barbie doesn't mind sharing collection space with numerous CY Girls and other 'action figures'. (But we know they're all dolls, right? ;) ~~Thankfully, my husband of 15 years enjoys my 1/6 collection, except when a few too many of them wander out into the office. :) Customizing is a big part of the hobby for me, and someday I will be posting pictures of the Articulated B. who is now only 10" tall! ~~Thanks to everyone who has shared! 9/18/02
Larry in OH~~My wife loves Holiday Barbie's and my kids just love them period, so I started collecting a few here and there and as of late several a few here on yahoo. Kids love getting them and I like finding them. 9/18/02
Laure in SK~~I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I now live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. We love it here.~~I started collecting Barbie when the Erica Kane dolls were released. I was a big All My Children fan and had to have those dolls. My collection grew from there. I still have my childhood Barbie dolls as well.~~I also collect Pokemon figures, Empire State Building items and beanies.~~I love to play tennis and bowl. And enjoy the piano. 9/18/02
Linda in MN ~~ Scarlett Barbies and my niece got me started - I bought collector Barbies for my niece for years and then one year she informed me she was too old for Barbies at about 10. I had been buying in advance and had at least a dozen Barbies in my closet. I started buying for myself with the Scarlett dolls. I thought I was crazy until I found the Jwarf
list on the internet. That helped start a Barbie club in 1996 that is still going today though I am the only founding member remaining. I have made friends locally but also two special friends in Sweden and Singapore and a great group of gals on AOL that live all over the country that are all REALLY special. It is a great hobby. 9/18/02
Linda R~~I am 55 yrs 9 months old !! I live in mid-Missouri & have worked in a Wal-Mart Bakery dept. for 16 months. Most of the time I really
like working there, but other times it is not so nice. Before that, I worked for 23 years at
Toastmaster in my home town. The doors were
closed on us & our lives began anew !!!
I have 4 sons & one still lives at home.
Our family also includes 4 cats, a min-Dachshund
named Susi & 2 min-Pincher/Jack Russell Terrier
pups, named Coco & Cissy !! The pups are quite a handful !!
I did not have a real Barbie when I was a kid, but always got a doll for Christmas. Then,
in 1989 I saw the '89 Happy Holiday Barbie & my
collection was started. I believe the next was
Benefit Ball. I can still remember the Mackie's
in the Sears Christmas Catalog !! My favorite's
are my Porceline Barbie's, the Silkstones & my
Lil Kelly's !! My most memorable purchase was
of the Mattel 50th Anniv. Porceline Barbie. I believe it was in the Penny's Christmas Catalog
& was supposed to be very limited. Price was
about $520. I just about had hysterics a trying
to get an order through. If only we knew then,
what we know now !! My other collections include Gene Fashion Dolls, TY Beanies & Buddy's, Lil Kelly Dolls &
most recently Tonner Ann Estelle. I really love,
just about all dolls. 9/18/02
Lisa B in TX
I'm forty-ish mother of 2 girls, the youngest to start kindergarten soon! I loved Barbie as a kid, have my childhood dolls (brunette bubble cut, brunette flip tnt and a blonde flip Francie). They are now joined by quite a few Barbies and friends. I've been "collecting" for about 5 years. I'm the owner of www.TinyZippers.com , where I sell zippers, sewing patterns, and notions for doll clothes sewing. I got hooked on "customizing" simply because I like to play with my dolls - and hey, when you're a grown up, you can play with boiling water and sharp needles and stuff! I have a wonderful husband, Wayne, aka "hubby" who likes to dork up my displays and do funny/weird things with my dolls. I collect vintage (where I can afford it!), repros, Silkstones, and any and all other dolls that I like.
I'm also a Girl Scout leader, so I have started to make "scout" dolls. 9/03
Lisa I ~~I've always loved Barbie, even when all my friends had outgrown her. I had kept all my childhood dolls and hoped for a chance to display them one day and secretly walked through the toy departments, checking out new dolls. In 1990, I saw an ad in the paper showing the most beautiful Barbies. I couldn't believe that Mattel made more than just pink box dolls so I contacted the sellers and was introduced to the world of adult collectors. My first purchase was Neptune's Fantasy and I have been busy filling in the gaps in my collection. I have over 600 dolls and am finally slowing down. This year I have purchased mainly Silkstones and trying to replace some of my well-used childhood dolls.~~I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with my husband of 14 years and 3 cats and 1 horse. I work as an office manager for a small coffee company and I love my job (most of the time). 9/18/02
Lisa (LMH)~~I've loved Barbie dolls all my life. Even when I was "too old" to play with them, I'd find myself down the barbie aisle, gazing at all of the boxes. Once I saw a doll I wanted, but I didn't get it because I didn't know how to explain buying a doll to anyone. Years later, I had to get the Feeling Groovy Barbie at a doll show. (Yes, I was kicking myself, LOL)~~I started collecting about 14 years ago, and I've watched all of the changes to our hobby, and in my own collection. I had a storage unit robbed once. I was in a club and wrote for the newsletter, I even help organize the club's annual get-togethers a couple times. I used to follow all of the "collecting rules": keep them NRFB, buy two, buy what's hot. But then the values dropped and I threw the "rulebook" out of the window. About seven years ago, I started dabbling in customizing, which I mostly do for fun, although two of my dolls made it to the national convention a few years back. (As part of a set of four for a raffle prize, with Brad Jensen doing the other two.)~~Two years ago, I heard all of this buzz about the internet, so I got a computer and made Vicky's my first stop. (I think ebay was my second, LOL) I post here as LMH cause my name's Lisa, and as you know, there are alot of Lisas on the board. ~~My collection is mostly modern, a little bit of Mod as well, tons of cases, dolls and even a few cars. I stopped counting awhile ago, but I know my tiny apartment is bursting at the seams! Besides Barbies, my other love is sci-fi, comics and anime. I have to cut the Barbie budget a little to afford an annual trip to San Diego for the International Comic-con. So, if you see some sci-fi/comic posts here or in the lounge, you'll likely see my name there. 9/18/02
Lisa N~~I'm a barbieholic! ~~I live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth (Texas) area; I am 40-ish.. married, 2 kids, 2 grandgirlies and a cat! I'm also a singer/songwriter. ~~I started collecting barbies about 4-1/2 years ago. I had NO idea how addicting this hobby is, OR how expensive! I'm not a deboxer, though I have deboxed a couple..just HAD to! I want my granddaughters to have the honor of deboxing someday (they are 3 and 1), or if they need the money for college they can use the barbies. I have about 350 dolls in my collection at present. I haven't gotten into vintage much, but I'm just now starting to try to get back some of the dolls I had as a child.. too bad I trashed them! (And probably sold them at a rummage sale for a nickel or dime! arghh!) If I had to pick a favorite doll.. I just absolutely could NOT do it! I love them all! I DO have one #6 titian HEAD left from my childhood. A dear friend fixed her up and put a body on her, and she is my pride and joy. But I'd have to say right now.. my favs are my 2 signed Cher dolls! My dream doll of course would be a perfect NRFB Number 1 Brunette!! ~~ I'm a member of a local doll group (DFW Dolls).. and have met some wonderful people due to Ms. Babs! I'm definitely NOT a customizer.. I can't sew, paint, do hair.. heck, I can't draw a straight line with a ruler! But I do so admire the work of others and have about 6 OOAKs that I adore!~~I was diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma (the DEADLY skin cancer) on my 39th birthday (almost 2 years ago). So.. along with collecting barbies, I've now made it my mission in life to help educate the public about Melanoma.. the dangers of the sun; how tanning is actually "damaged skin"; use suncreen and wear a floppy hat.. DON'T get sunburned!! Check your moles/freckles for ANY changes (ie.. growth, color, itching, etc.) If ya find something, get it CUT out..not shaved, or punched...CUT OUT! Melanoma, if found at it's earliest stage (in-situ..meaning right on top of the skin), is almost 99% curable. After that point.. there IS no cure. Mine was deep, on my face, and I now have an egg-sized graft. My "statistics" are 60% for surviving 5 years (already made 2 almost! yippee!!) I've learned to appreciate each day.. each MOMENT.. life's too damn short to spend arguing over petty stuff!! I've become affiliated with the Melanoma Research Foundation, and recently wrote and recorded a song to help benefit them called "Wings of Hope". I'm planning to hold a fundraiser for the MRF in May 2003, and Mattel has offered to go into their archives and pull out signed dolls for auction! ~~I'm fairly new to Vickie's board....Thanks so much for this contest...NOT just for the freebie dolls, but so we can all learn a little bit about each other. I've enjoyed reading everybody's stories.. and it's all because of a little dolly that Mrs. Ruth Handler came up with! She was one swell lady, and I wish I'd had the opportunity to meet her in person. What a doll!!
9/18/02
Lisette, Canada~~ I am a 40yr old barbaholic. I spent my childhood on a small island called Jersey which is in the English Channel. Here I was first introduced to barbie and I played for hours and hours. Only had a couple of barbies but I loved them to death. My father was a minister and he decided to move the family to Canada. I had to leave most of my toys behind but brought out one barbie and clothes in a barbie case. In Canada I used to play all the time with that barbie, one day I left it in the garage and my dad threw it out with the garbage, well I was heart broken. I know my Dad did not mean to. I still remember my poor Dad going to the dump to try to find it. When I got married I was re-introduced to barbie as my mother-in-law collected them, she started my collection by buying me for christmas a fruffle n fun barbie. I have not looked back since, and when I found My Favourite Doll I did not look back. I own about 600 barbies love the mackies and the fashion avenues. 9/18/02
Lita aka deboxer~~I am doing this in hurry before reading everyones story. My first Barbie was a number 3, so i think I was eight. My favorite one was Fashion Queen Midge, cause of the red hair. I have not won a contest since 1963, when I won a TV, which was the first prize in a contest at a local theater. I was upset cause the second prize was a Bubblecut barbie and wardrobe. My favorite Barbie story for the 2000's is when I asked one of my students, what she wanted most in life, and she wanted to have more Barbies than her sister. I collect Dolls of the World and Target exculsives. I teaching elementary school reading in Compton and hope to finish my masters this year. Then I will buy a Silkstone. I love hearing about garage sale finds, and hope to be lucky one day.(garage sale that is)9/18/02
Lori OH ~~ Well, I would like to start out by saying that this was such a good idea. I stop by and read the board every day even though I myself have only posted a few times. My name is Lori and I am 24. We live in Ohio right now but when my husband is finished with school we plan on moving to Kentucky where he grew up. I have been collecting barbies since 1998. The first one I bought for myself was a Repunzle (sp) playline barbie. I remember looking at the My Fair Lady and Gone with the Wind barbies every time I would go to walmart or a toy store but back then I couldn't imagine spending that much on a doll. If I only knew. lol.I only have about 60 in my collection and I don't usually debox. However a few of those silkies just would not stay in their box. 9/18/02
Luanne~~I have to confess that I am addicted to barbie. I have my barbies from childhood but really only looked at barbie occassionally while I was at university and first married. But I discovered the TRU where I lived had collector barbies and that is when I restarted. Then I discovered the internet and now I have trouble not buying dolls. I have met a really great bunch of people here and a few not so great. I plan on seeing most of you at Disney for the convention. I am 40 something and live in Canada. I like going to MFD and meeting up with some of my friends there during Marg's big sale days. Thanks to the fashion doll board, I am now also addicted to Tyler. But when you think about it, I could have worse habits. Thanks for reading. 9/18/02
Madison C ~~ I became a dealer on the 1st of Nov 1999. I started building a makeshift website without my own domain name a little earlier, just toshowcase our own doll collection. To sell Barbies, you really needed pics on your website to entice buyers to make purchases. How else do you sell?~~
And like most of the dealers worldwide, I would use Mattel pics to sell Mattel made Barbie dolls. ~~
But my competitor complained to Mattel and my sales manager told me to stop using their pics.~~
This was lunacy, I thought.~~How am I supposed to sell Barbie dolls when I can't use any of their pics?
There was only one solution:
Mattel only said that I couldn't use Mattel produced pics.~~But if I were to take pics of dolls which I purchased myself, not prototypes made by Mattel, who is going to stop me. I mean, these are my own dolls. Photographed using my own limited photographic skills.~~ In the beginning, I started scanning pictures of Barbie dolls and my rudimentary knowledge of Photoshop helped me better present the pictures on my website. I would place the dolls on scanner and just scan them. ~~Occasionally, I did take pictures with my idiot proof Olympia camera. But the money spent on processing the films and then scanning them with my scanner was just too much time wasted, not to mention a waste of huge amounts of film and money.~~So I just had to get a digital camera.And the rest is history.~~Nowadays, we have become an important dealer for Mattel and they don't mind us using their pics.
And although we have kissed and made up, I must say I am utterly grateful for their unwillingness to budge two years earlier. For I would never have thought of taking my own pictures and having even more fun. As the saying goes " A door closes, while a window opens". And necessity is the mother of all invention.~~
I love taking pictures of Barbie. I cannot take a bad picture of the queen of fashion. ~~ In my opinion, no other fashion doll comes even close to the joy I experience when photographing Barbie. The only exception would be Cissy.~~Say what you will in regards to Tyler, Gene or Alex.~~ The only queen of fashion, in my humble and very biased opinion, is named Barbie Millicent Roberts! 9/18/02
Mary Ann D (MAD)~~ I have loved Barbie forever!!!!!! I got my first one (Fashion Photo Barbie the one in the 70's) when I was 5--I had to swim underwater to get her--that was my incentive to learn to swim! ha! ~~
I played with Barbie from then on.....and I got to play with a REALLY COOL Barbie when I used to go to visit my Great Aunt. She had the coolest Barbie doll!!! (I now know that I played with a wonderful #4 and even brushed her hair--I'm sorry--I didn't know back then!!!!) I loved all the real zippers and little accessories my Aunt's doll had.... ~~I eventually outgrew the doll stage (well for a few years anyway!) and forgot all about the wonderful world of Barbie until one day in '96 I walked into an antique store and saw a vision in white. She was a blonde bubblecut in the first vintage wedding dress. Overcome with memories of my Aunt's doll, I snatched her up and there began the insanity. Somehow after that I began manufacturing MAD doll stands....and that lead to a trade for a Silkstone Barbie.......and NOW I'm crazy over them!!!! I really enjoy playing with my girls--I couldn't play so much with my Vintage gals........I have a few guys for "props" like Frank Sinatra and James Dean...but after that....it's all Silkstones!! ~~MAD--about B!! BARBIE! 9/18/02
Mary Ann/OH~~I am originally from the mountains of Eastern KY and have plans to move back there in the next 3 to 5 years. My husband was a career soldier so we have lived many places. I have two grown sons, two grandsons, a Boxer, a Poodle, an African Grey and a room full of Barbies. I started with Barbies when I saw the 1998 Happy Holiday on sale, and at that point I "wanted them all". Now I am trying to thin out my collection as I want each one to have enough space to "pop" and not be lost in the crowd. I have them NRFB except for one curio, but in my next house I hope to debox all of them. I love to visit the Barbtalk board and love to see pictures of others collections, pets and themselves. I am still trying to post pics, but so far only succeeding in making a mess of it!!! 9/18/02
Mary W. AZ~~I have always loved Barbie, she was my favorite toy as a child. I had a blonde bubblecut, a Ken but can’t remember what color hair, a titian Skipper. Then came the brunette TNT. After I got her, the bubblecut had to always be the ‘mom’ doll because I thought she looked older and meaner! Unfortunately, I no longer have my original dolls. My mom had planned on saving them, but somewhere along the way they got lost or given away. I am now trying to collect those things I had as a kid…I remember having tons of Barbie’s clothes! I also love the Silkstones and collector dolls. I have tons of pink box dolls that I got in the early stages of collecting when I had to buy everything I saw. Does anyone remember the JWARF mailing list? I had collected for quite a while before that, but that really opened up a whole new world of information for me and provided the ability to be connected to others who were into Barbie!!~~
I am married with a 9 year old daughter, two dogs, two cats, a rat and two newts. My husband collects action figures, comics and more recently Cy Girls. Needless to say, he is very supportive of my collecting! 9/18/02
Mel ~~ I am a 30+ married mom of three! I have always loved Barbie, I still own my childhood dolls (what is left of them). I started collecting Barbie about 5 years ago strong! When my youngest child was born...my daughter, I thought I need to have some type of collection for "us" to enjoy. The boys and I have comic books, and action figures, but she needed something a little more hands on! So the year she was born I bought "Starlight Dance, the Classique doll". I was hooked from there. It was my intent to have EVERY AA face mold made to show my daughter the history of Africian American Barbies. ~~ Now Her collection is huge, (at 5) and mine is too. I love AA dolls, vintage, up to about the early 80's, and OOAK's. My collection is about 500 dolls strong now!~~ My best EVER find is while on vacation in Alabama I found at a garage sale A Deluxe Barbie house with Mod dolls and a Francie case full of clothes and accessories all for 8 bucks!! I was so happy I hugged the lady. She thought she was charging me too much! :) 9/18/02
Monica MN ~~I played with Barbies since I was little. My older sister had a best friend who lived across the street. She was an only child and had LOTS of real Barbies and original outfits (ponytails and bubblecuts). My sister and I got Mitzi dolls (by Ideal, sold at Montgomery Wards where my parents bought everything). Anyway, I ran into her friend at the grocery store about a year ago and I told my daughters (6 and 10), this is the girl who had all the Barbie stuff! She laughed and said she still has it all! She has 2 boys but still buys some Barbies.
I started collecting Barbies again when my older daughter was born. Too much time on my hands during maternity leave. When my second daughter was born, we did a lot of Barbie shopping. I used to post on Pink Chat and came here after Vicky started her board.
I have some vintage Barbies, pink box, some collector Barbies. I collected advertising dolls for many years. When I saw Soda Fountain Sweetheart I broke down and ordered my first Collector Barbie. Now I have a lot of Kelly dolls. I think because they remind me of my Liddle Kiddles I had (and still have). My friend at work is a Barbie collector and we tell each other where the sales are and always pick stuff up for each other. It seems like we exchange a "bag" every other week. Our co-workers are used to our clandestine exchanges.~~I've met a couple people from this board. Tracy in NZ was here a few years ago visiting a friend and we went to a Barbie show together. Linda in MN invited me to join her Barbie group and it's been great meeting other collectors. I've bought a lot of Barbies from people from this board - THANKS everyone! 9/18/02
