(many thanks to RosesontheVine - who is really AngelBleu, my Secret Summer 98 Sister, for this wonderful custom made background set!!) I guess you could say it's because I never had a Barbie doll growing up. Perhaps it's because my best friend gave me one for the holidays when was 29 (a brunette doll, like me, of course). Or maybe because the dolls in the magazine looked so beautiful and glamourous. But for whatever reason, in 1995 with part of my birthday money from my father, I started collecting Barbie dolls! The picture above shows, in part, how my collection got started. One of the first that I bought was Barbie as Scarlett in "Gone With the Wind" wearing the red dress. I love that scene and I love that dress. The doll's featues are very detailed and include inset eyelashes. I also purchased a Barbie as Rapunzel and I was off. I now have twenty five Barbies which have never been removed from box (known as NRFB in collectors terms). I have since acquired the green dress "Gone with the Wind" (another great scene) and many others. In fact, for my 31st birthday, I finally received a Barbie doll from my parents! Barbie has a very mixed reputation among women. I think she is a great way for girls to "play" at relationships, which are so important to us all. A girls self-image won't be harmed by having Barbie dolls as long as the real women in her life have good self-images. When you collect, the recommendation is that you should collect what you like, not what you think will increase in price. For me this has meant collecting high end, glamour dolls. I have one from the "My Fair Lady" series, the first from the Artist Series (the Monet Water Lily doll shown above), the two ballerina Barbies: Sugar Plum Fairy and Swan Queen, as Marilyn Monrose in the white dress from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", as Dorothy (a doll that has more than tripled in price since I bought her), as Glinda, as an Angel of Music, and the first in the Illusion Barbie Series. I also have some cute ones which have sentimental value - two from Disney, including the 25th Anniversary doll, and one from Hamley's, England's answer to FAO Schwarz, which I bought on my honeymoon. Because they are all still in their boxes, they take up a lot of room in the closet, but eventually I hope to have a place to display them. Do you have Barbies? Or another fun collection? Make sure to mention it in my guestbook!! The Official Barbie Site FAO Schwarz has lots of exclusives Myers Toy World has a Barbie Center worth visiting ...more to come! This Barbie Collector's Ring site is owned by Calliope's Oasis. Click for the [ Previous] [ Random] [ Next Site] [ Skip Next] [ Next 5] Click here for info on how to join The Barbie Collector's Ring. This page hosted by You can get your own Free Home Page