Barbie is 58 years old today!
When I was maybe 3 years old, I saw an ad on the back of my morning chocolate milk mix. If I saved however many labels, I could get a free Barbie doll. Now, I drank a LOT of chocolate milk as it was the only way my parents could get me to drink milk. So I knew that it would be easy for me to collect the labels. As we sat over our morning cereal, I told my father that I would like to have the Barbie and he said no. NO!!!! Why not? All I had to do was drink the mix, collect the labels, and the doll would be free. I was SO angry, and not knowing how else to express my anger, I stuck my tongue out at him.
That did not go over well...to say the least.
I loved that doll. She was the Jackie Kennedy version with the short hair.
By the time I was 7 years old, a new and improved version of Barbie hit the market. She had bendable legs...WOW!!!! A toy store in my town ran a promotion where if you brought in your old Barbie, they would give you the new and improved version with bendable legs. At the time, I had no thought that this doll would one day have value, all I wanted was a doll with possibilities.
Now here's where the story gets funny...
Remember, all of my Barbie clothes had been made by my grandmother, so there was no way that I would give away something so precious, so I took the clothes off my Barbie and wrapped her in a blanket. After all, I couldn't take a naked Barbie to the toy store!
When I arrived, there was a man behind the counter. Oh horror of horrors!!! I was beyond embarrassed about having to hand this man a naked Barbie. Looking back on the day, the man was no man, but a teenager, but when you're 7, anyone over the age of 16 is an adult to you. So I took a deep breath, unwrapped my doll from the blanket, and handed it to "the man." My embarrassment soon dissipated with the brand new Barbie in my hands. I remember riding home and being intoxicated by the smell of the rubbery plastic, and dreaming of the hours and hours of joy that I would have with this doll.
I have a lot to thank Barbie for. My play time was an escape. Hours would melt away as I played and created scenarios for my dolls. And thanks to my grandmother and her sewing skills, I had wonderful clothes that made me dream of the day that I too would have lovely clothes to wear. I'm still a big fan of ensemble dressing. I love a coat that matches my dress. Now I know where that love was birthed :)
I still have that Barbie, and the clothes, along with a number of the other dolls that were created for the Barbie family. They are packed away along with all the imagination that they at one time set the stage for me to create in my mind. I now know where my love of story was born. So maybe it's time for the dolls and the clothes to be unpacked, released from their captivity and allowed to birth dreams in a new generation.
I can related to making Barbie clothes with Grandma! My mom used to get annoyed with me when I begged for scraps from a current project. The rule was that I had to wait until she was done with a project. In retrospect, this is perfectly reasonable. At the time, it was a complete test of my patience!
ReplyDeleteLove it! 😊
DeleteI still have my original Barbie. Non-bendable legs, blue eye shadow, black ponytail. And all the clothes my mom, aunt and grandma made. I've been thinking about framing it all in a shadow box frame.
DeleteThis post takes me back to when I was a little girl too! I had one of the same original Barbies and then was so excited when they came out with the bendable legs Barbies. My sister and I would spend hours playing with these dolls and creating scenarios and dramas. One time my mother came over because she thought we had gotten into a fight but we had created a scenario where our Barbies got into an argument...ha! We had great fun building wardrobes for them. This was perhaps where my love of fashion came from as well. I wish I had kept these dolls but they are long gone. Regardless, I have fond memories of them.
ReplyDeleteI was too old for Barbie when she first came out, so I never understood about Barbie---until last year. There was a huge Barbie! exhibition here in Paris at the Musee des Artes Decoratif. I was totally smitten. Oh, my. The clothes. The designers like St. Laurent making clothes for Barbie. One room had 7,000 Barbie outfit arranged in rainbow order. Fabulous exhibit. I wish it would come to the States so my friends could see it, too. Last January, a friend gave me my FIRST Barbie. I'm almost 70 and I love my Barbie doll!
ReplyDeleteYou have brought back all those memories! I, too, had to have the new Barbie with the bendable legs and remember that smell. I never made clothes for her, though. I ended up making clothes and furniture for my troll dolls(so much easier with those boxy figures)
ReplyDeleteGreat story.
Thanks Lori 😊 After I wrote the post, I began to wonder why the bendable legs were so important, it's not like it gave her the ability to walk!!! I forgot all about the troll dolls. I also had one.
DeleteWhat a wonderful story down memory lane, and opens up my own memories of my mom sewing my doll clothes. I even bought the exact pattern she used when I was growing up for nostalgia. Funny thing that same exact pattern was reintroduced as one of the vintage patterns from the Big 4. I think myself and a lot of others would love to see your Barbies!
ReplyDeleteMy brother actually gave me a gift of the Barbie that I traded in. Just the sweetest gift. But I am going to unearth my old Barbies. It has been YEARS since they have seen the light of day.
DeleteI never knew you had a brother, why didn't I know this. I bet the when you get your Barbies, this will begin such a wonderful nostalgic journey for you! Looking forward!
DeleteA few years ago, my brother came across the Barbie that I had traded in as well as a wonderful case that I had always dreamed of having. In the case were some clothes, original store bought clothes. While I loved what my grandmother made, I dreamed of having some of the "real" Barbie clothes. It was just the sweetest gift. There is a major part of my growing up years that I don't talk about. I have felt for some time that I should share my story. Maybe it would help others to face difficult times in their life. I think I just need more time.
DeleteI never understood all the talk about Barbie having a bad impact on body image at young girls. I loved my Barbies, they were my fav. dolls. I sewed and knitted clothes for them. I wad 15 when I stopped playing with them and making clothes for them. I am still proud of some dresses I hand sewed.
ReplyDeleteI too was surprised when all the talk began about little girls comparing themselves to Barbie. Like another said, I never wanted to look like Barbie, I just wanted her wardrobe!!!
DeleteI can really relate to this too. I had the slightly less upscale "Sindy" doll and I knitted jumpers for her and hand-sewed little clothes. It was such a great way to encourage creativity, making those things. I think that children today really miss out on a lot when they are stuck behind a games console or a PC screen. :D Xx
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteI second Bunny's AMEN!
DeleteI had the Sindy ballerina, whose joints were all bendable. I really loved this and made lots of clothes for her. ...and a house out of a 3 "storey" book case w lots of cardboard furnishings.
DeleteI'm the same age as Barbie but I never had one :( Always wanted one but never got one. Must have been too expensive here in Australia. My youngest daughter (who was into dolls) inherited a ton of hand me down barbies from her cousins and also had the latest Bratz dolls. I think I made up for my lack by showering dolls on my daughter. As an adult, it is not much fun spending hours dressing and undressing these dolls!!
ReplyDeleteYou brought back the memory of my sweet great-grandmother so patiently dressing and undressing my dolls. Truly a saint 😊
DeleteI wish I had hung onto the original doll and not done the trade in. I understand money was tight, and I would not have been given a new doll.
ReplyDeleteBut if I could go back and advise me.....
I think we all wish we could go back and advise our younger selves on SO many things. But, we have the memories 😊
DeleteMe, too! Me, too! And my gramma made fabulous clothes!! And my daughter preserved them (even the wedding gown) so they have been passed down to my granddaughter now (and the beat goes on!!). My sister and I played with those dolls for HOURS! And had the convertibles, houses, etc. too It wasn't until we were adults that we realized that toward Christmastime, when our dad was gone in the evenings, he was working extra jobs to pay for those extra Christmas presents of Barbie and Ken and Skipper dolls and all their accessories (and Samantha and Mary Poppins, and later, Elvis records and stereo). God bless him!! And having made a few Barbie outfits for the granddaughter, I can't believe how Gramma's hands labored over the DETAIL in the Barbie clothes she made. I mean, they were couture, not just aprons! SIGH...I sure wish we could've known back then how exquisite they were (even though we did cherish them). Thank you to all the grammas in the world, and Happy Birthday, Barbie!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful man you had for a father. Such a blessing.
DeleteSuch memories! I had the first Barbies, striped chevron swim suit, wicked eye liner, swinging blonde pony tail. I so loved that doll. My Dad traveled occasionally with his work and always brought us back gifts, even if just tiny trinkets. On a trip to Germany he came back with this Barbie doll. It was like nothing I had ever seen doll-wise and I loved her to pieces. Christmases brought outfits, which for us were very expensive. I remember keeping the little pamphlets that came with an outfit and ogling over the other things that could be bought. Where would I get the money to buy such fashion treasures? Nowhere, and my sewing passion became secured. I treasured every tiny leftover scrap from my mom's sewing. I copied those outfits in the pamphlets as best I could. My fave was the wedding gown. Who did not want the wedding gown? I made tiny belts, cut on tiny sleeves and struggled often to get the dress on Barbie. I tried and made her pants. I really think all this fiddling to get a little garment onto a doll's body really set the stage for later altering and fit. It also started my passion for knocking off the expensive I could never buy as in my latest, the fur backpack. I played with Barbie until I was fourteen. She was my model, my muse. I could make her all sorts of garments and enjoy all sorts of fashion fantasies. I will be forever grateful for my Dad bringing her home. I sure wish I had that doll now, but in the numerous moves our family made over the years, somehow she left us for Doll Heaven where her fashion reigns supreme.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, I have never understood the belief that she creates body issues for young girls. I totally disagree. I just never thought of her that way. Her body was not easy to work with in my sewing and playing so it just didn't compute in that manner for me. I never thought "oh, I would love to look just like Barbie." I did think, "wow, I would love to have Barbie's wardrobe. I would love to sew clothes for myself like that those I saw in the pamphlets." Barbie was very inspirational for me and I will always treasure that inspo and the many hours, days and years of pleasure she provided me.
Another commented on the lack of understanding about poor body image. I'm with you, I just wanted the clothes! Playing with the dolls also allowed me to dream of what could be for my life. I loved and enjoyed my play time, but always understood that I would one day have an adult life, and what I would like that life to look like. Now, not everything I imagined happened, that's life. But, I am so very grateful for all those hours of play as it was so much more. It actually helped to form my life.
DeleteLoved this story so much!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Oona 😊
DeleteAwww. . thanks for the memories! I, too, got my first Barbie by saving the labels from chocolate milk mix. .could it have been Borden's Malted Milk? That rings a bell for me, tho admittedly, it was many, many years ago. .
ReplyDelete