Readers share more Barbie memories

Everyone, it seems, has a Barbie memory. We asked readers to submit their favorite stories of the fashion doll as she celebrates her 50th year.

In the 1970s, I had two nieces living in B.C., Canada. They lived out in the country on a ranch-type place -- just the right age to love Barbie dolls. Their parents were not able to buy outfits for their dolls. I was asked to make them some outfits as they knew I love to sew.

I made the arm holes too small. So my brother, their father, would pull the dolls' arms out and then after the girls got their dolls fixed up the way they liked it, brother would put the arms back in. Such a job he did have. He was not happy with me.

-- Jennie Lou Winkler

I remember coming to Sears in Richmond to buy my one and only Barbie. In those days, you only bought one, and there was a small catalogue booklet of clothes you could buy. (They were well-made and gorgeous!) Of course, she came in a cute box wearing her black-and-white-striped bathing suit, with sunglasses, pearl earrings, heels, a metal stand, and the booklet. I still have all that and, in spite of many hours playing with her, they're all in excellent condition. -- Lyn Presson

Our neighbors across the road would come over for Kool-Aid and cookies, bringing their dolls in black patent cases, and off we'd go to the front yard with a cardboard box for the runway. We'd begin dressing, changing, adding hats, bags, different mules and slippers for the show. What a wonderful way to grow up.

-- Karen Arrington

My sister and I saw everything in terms of how it could be used by Barbie. My mother participated in this as well. When she saw a tissue box, it became a bed for Barbie. A sock became a knit dress for Barbie. A pair of straight pins with decorative heads were awesome pierced earrings. -- Lela Martin

As a child, there were only two toys that I wanted above all others -- an Easy Bake Oven and a Barbie doll. Since my parents continually rejected the oven because of safety issues, they agreed to Barbie. My first Barbie was the original "Twist 'n Turn Waist" model and she had long blonde hair and an orange bikini with a mesh over suit. I can still remember how excited I was to receive that doll! Pretty soon, I acquired her sisters, Skipper and Tutti, her cousin, Francie, and her friends Stacie, P.J., Ken and Casey, several houses, and a car. I saved all of my Christmas and birthday money to buy them clothes and other accessories -- and my collection just kept growing.

I loved those dolls so much because they provided me a distraction from problems at home, especially my pesky little brother, and created a world where everything good was possible for Barbie and me. Barbie and her clan were doctors, nurses, teachers, singers, actors, writers, homemakers, fashion designers, lawyers and chefs. They helped me re-enact scenes from a favorite story on my own or served as props for a book report or other project at school. Growing up, I was known as "the girl with the cleanest, neatest Barbies" in my neighborhood. If anyone tried to play with one of my dolls when their hands were dirty, they were promptly directed to the soap and sink to wash up! -- Janice Fisher

Some of my most happy memories are playing with my Barbie dolls when I was a little girl. I am 53 years old and have the original Barbie, Midge, Skipper and Scooter. I had Ken, but I don't know what happened to him. I think he ran away from being around all those girls!-- Helen Hardy

In a December 1964 issue of either the Richmond Times-Dispatch, or the Richmond News Leader, there was a picture and blurb about my doll house that my parents and grandfather built to Barbie doll scale. My grandfather, who was an electrical engineer and executive of VEPCO (now Dominion), wired my doll house for electricity. I spent many, many happy hours playing with my Barbie dolls in that house! -- Eileen Pearson Meagher

I have several much younger sisters, and I can remember the Christmas season when my mother (a fantastic seamstress and penny pincher -- 'cause she had to be) set out to make lots of Barbie clothes/outfits for two of my younger sisters. It was truly a labor of love because it was tedious -- such small arm holes and tiny "hooks & eyes," etc. -- Kim Parker

A few years ago, as we prepared to move to a new home, we cleaned out the attic and held a yard sale. Barbie and her friends were labeled and prepared for sale. Then my wonderful mother-in-law said, "Wait, I think those dolls are worth more money. Let me check into it." So she went to the library and checked out the Blue Book on dolls. Next she called her doll-collecting friend. Before I knew it, she had me hooked up with the president of a Richmond Barbie doll club. This lady came over and viewed my collection and ended up spending $3,000. We had marked it all for about $15 per case. Thus enters the new Ethan Allan kitchen table and chairs that we still use today. -- Leigh DeFreitas

When my sister and I were young (we are 56 and 68), my mom made all of our clothes. I have a small hatbox in my attic with my Barbie doll and clothes my mother made for her. It's so much fun for my sister and I to look through them -- dresses made from leftover material from Easter suits my mom made us, a velvet vest and skirt made from a bridesmaid dress my sister wore in a close friend's wedding, skirts made from gingham from a summer play dress my mom made me to match my playmate's. (Our moms often made us the same outfits, but in different colors.) Our mom has been gone since 2005 so this brings her back to us! -- Vicki Olsen

Since I received my first Barbie doll in 1959, it was no surprise that I began buying Barbie dolls for my daughter, Kate, soon after she was born in 1989. She loved Barbie just as much as I loved Barbie.

Our family loved going to Disney World and we took the children five or six times a year. In 1994, we were thrilled to discover that EPCOT was celebrating Barbie's 35th birthday. At the American Gardens Theatre, Disney presented an elaborate "Barbie's World" show complete with real-life Barbie dolls, a real-life Ken, Barbie's sports car and a multitude of Barbie's fashionable clothes. At one point in the show, a dancer came off the stage and picked a young girl to go on stage to become a real-life Barbie doll. Imagine our surprise when our daughter, Kate, was chosen to go on stage. In true Disney fashion, she received the full treatment. Two handsome men picked her up and held her high in the air while another measured her from head to toe with a tape measure for her new dress. Then a beautiful pink dress was put on her, topped by a hat and gloves. As she sat in a chair on stage, Ken sang a song to her. Then Barbie appeared, dressed in a beautiful gown. Ken escorted Kate to Barbie where the three of them stood for the final song and a bow! It was truly magic! It was an event that will forever be remembered in our family. -- Pam Proffitt

I still have the brunette bubble-hairdo Barbie that I got when I was about 6. Although I probably could sell her, I will likely hang onto her to show to any grandchildren that I might be lucky enough to have. After all, they just don't make those dolls with the exaggerated figures (large breasts, miniscule waists, etc.) as well as polish on their tiny nails anymore. There was so much more attention to detail "back in the day."

I also recall looking through the tiny booklets that displayed the various outfits and accessories you could purchase for the dolls. I was always envious of one of my girlfriends whose mom would buy her the fancy doll outfits that I longed to buy for MY Barbie. However, MY mom actually knit tiny outfits for the dolls that my sister and I had. They were the coolest things and I could barely fathom how my mom was able to knit those doll-sized clothes. It certainly was a labor of love on HER part. -- Sharon O'Keefe

I didn't collect Barbie as a child but my younger sisters did, I was too old for dolls when Barbie became available in my area. I collect them now though and probably have about 300. I went to the National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention last year in Kansas City, Mo., and it was the most fun I have ever had. I'm looking forward to going to the one in Washington, D.C., this summer where I can be silly for four or five days and no one will think I'm nuts.

I started out collecting redheaded Barbie dolls since I have red hair but my collection definitely has mushroomed since then. I am in a club of crazy collectors and we have the most fun! -- Anna Rowe

Like so many other female baby boomers, I had Barbie dolls and all the paraphernalia. When I was about 6 to 8 years old, a brand-new twist-at-the-waist Barbie came out on the market. The Toy Store at Patterson and Libbie had a promotion for this new doll. "Bring in your old Barbie and get money off the new Barbie!" What a deal! Out with the old and in with the new.

I immediately made the decision to do just that. My mother was appalled. How could I so easily swap my beloved Barbie for the new and improved version? My mother tried everything she could to persuade me to keep my old doll. But to me, it was a no-brainer. I'd certainly enjoyed my Barbie but there was a new one out AND a discount on the new Barbie was being offered to boot. How very practical. It made perfect sense to me.

To my mom's credit, she did allow me to handle the situation my way. But to this day, this story highlights our style differences. I'm a minimalist (love it, use it or lose it). She's a collector placing a high value on her beautiful possessions. This Barbie issue was probably the first indicator that we were going to be very different in how we handle "things."-- Susan Grymes

I first saw Barbie at a doll museum while on vacation with my family. She was showcased as the "Doll of the Future" and most amazing doll I had ever seen. I wanted her more than anything. My mother thought the doll was too expensive, especially for a girl she thought was growing out of playing with dolls. Consequently, I never got a Barbie. Decades later I relayed this story while out to dinner with friends. Their little girl had every Barbie and all the accessories available at the time, and they thought it sad that I never had even one Barbie as a child.

A few weeks later, we got together again, and they handed me a lovely gift wrapped box containing "My First Barbie." There I was at age 42 with my beautiful blond Barbie in her shimmering blue ballerina gown and toe shoes. I was ecstatic -- finally I had a Barbie doll. It's nearly 20 years later. She is just as beautiful to me today. -- Anne McNeal

My sister and I played with Barbies in our finished basement when we were girls. We saved boxes and old book shelves to be houses. We had a whole village down there. My grandmother, Grace Washington Collins, who we called mommom, made furniture for us out of empty tissue boxes and oatmeal boxes. The furniture was so beautiful, made of scraps of fabric and even stuffed with batting for padding. I still have some of these pieces after all these years. Mommom taught me how to make furniture, too, and now I make it for my daughters.-- Debra Benevides

In the early '70s, I received my first Barbie doll when I was 8 years old. Then came Ken and several others until I had quite a collection. These dolls were not only toys to me, but an extended family. I spent many, many hours with them every day for years. They had a permanent home against my bedroom wall that stretched 6 feet long. Everyone had a bed complete with linens and pillows that my mother had made. I used the Sears catalogs as the foundations. The kitchen was furnished with all sorts of dishes, pots, pans and an array of "food." The living room had a TV I made from an old cardboard jewelry box that I drew on and a newspaper I cut out from an old magazine. I had the Corvette, RV and swimming pool also. Every holiday was celebrated with them, down to a pine-tree branch decorated with popcorn at Christmastime.

I am now 44 years old and my prize Barbies sit on a corner shelf and oversee my living room. I recently finished a three-story dollhouse that is furnished with all my Barbie memories. It will be displayed in my home until the time comes to pass it down to my daughter for safekeeping. -- Connie Quinn

I received my Barbie in '59. I loved the fashion of that doll. I dreamed of owning and dressing my Barbie in the wedding gown . My beloved Aunt Agnes sent me a check for $5 as a birthday gift that year. I quickly spent it on that glorious gown. My aunt passed away a few years ago. I celebrate her and that childhood memory every December when I hang my Barbie Hallmark ornament on my Christmas tree. Thank you Aunt Agnes! -- Patricia Turner

I still have all my Barbies, clothes, and accessories, such as the original college (I think they only made one), the first and original Barbie house, Barbie's first wedding gown, black sequined dress, gold dress coat with the little fur collar, Ken's trench coat, etc. If you played with Barbie back then, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Through the years, my mother kept all my Barbie stuff, and it survived several house moves and many years in my mother's hot attic. I was finally able to play with my Barbies again when I had my daughter Katy, now 21, and she enjoyed them as much as I did. Now when my niece, Emmie, stays with me, we have plenty to keep us busy, and hopefully one day, I'll have a granddaughter to pass all of it down to. -- Donna Stephens Sears

I have been married for 41 years and Barbie has moved with us each time we relocated, first to Norfolk and then six times here in Richmond. My husband thinks she must be part of the family since he encouraged me to sell her each time we moved, but I couldn't bring myself to part with her. We just moved nine months ago and she remains in her little box, hair still up in its original style, accessories still packaged, all in a safe place in our home. -- Donna S. Buhrman

I have always loved Barbies, so this year I put one on the top of the Christmas tree. She was so beautiful! -- Martha Jane Sinclair

In 1966, my sister Leslie and I received matching Francie/Barbie dolls for Christmas. I was 4 and my sister, Leslie, was 6. We have fond memories of playing for long hours with our Barbies. Along with Francie, we also had P.J., Skipper, and Tutti. My sister got a Twiggy doll later. Influenced by her hairstyle, I decided to play "beauty parlor" and give our Francie dolls Twiggy-inspired haircuts, much to my sister's dismay. We still have those Francie dolls minus their long golden locks. -- Sheryl Kingery Mays