In spite of my tomboyish nature, I spent a bit of time during my childhood playing with Barbie dolls. I know. Shocking, right? But hey, we made it fun, and it certainly passed the time on days when we were cooped up in the house with nothing else to do. Plus, we had some pretty sweet accessories–a Barbie swimming pool complete with working shower and waterslide, a Barbie convertible, and even the GMC Barbie Star Traveler Motorhome, most of which are still packed away in my parents’ basement just waiting to be taken out, dusted off, and played with again.
The Barbie dolls themselves, though, arrived in one of the Rubbermaid totes that my folks’ dropped off at the house several weeks ago…
Is it just me, or is a clear, plastic bag full of naked Barbies something straight out of a horror movie or what?
I figured for the sake of the blog, I’d at least get a few them dressed and looking presentable for the photos. It also gave me a chance to dig out some of the stylish 1970’s and 80’s outfits we used to dress them in.
And how about this beauty in the wedding dress? (You know I couldn’t resist doing a mock wedding pose).
Sifting through all the dolls and accessories, I figured the best way to tackle the excavation was to make two piles–one pile of stuff that was still in good enough shape to either keep or sell, and the other pile headed directly for the garbage.
It really wasn’t a very difficult task.
For instance, all of these Barbie pet accessories and suitcase are in great shape, so they get to stay in the keeper pile…
These dolls weren’t so lucky. After Lindy and I decided to play Beauty Shop and give then new hairdos, they were never quite the same. Who knew a curling iron and crimper wouldn’t work on Barbie hair?
Then, we have the issue of all the dolls who were chewed on by our old dog Tu-tu. I don’t know what it was, but Tu-tu had some sort of strange Barbie hand and foot fetish. She never chewed anything else in all the years we had her, but leave a Barbie doll lying around unsupervised and you could bet you’d return to find the appendages looking like used chewing gum. Seriously, what the hell?
Then, there are the things that just gave way to normal wear and tear, like white go-go boots that have broken apart at the seams. And the things that are just kinda gross, like this old Barbie toothbrush, that I actually remember using as a kid. Mmmm…there’s nothing like an old used toothbrush that’s been sitting around for the last twenty years or so.
So, after a good decluttering the Barbie box is a bit lighter than it used to be. And I gotta say, after spending the 15 minutes “playing” with the old dolls today so I could take my pictures, I’m pretty sure I’ve hit my Barbie quota for awhile…well, at least until the old motorhome and pool arrive. Then, Cadence and I just might have to have a Barbie date. 🙂
Lori Romano 