It’s a Barbie World Out There!

Longtime Journalist Shares Insight on Barbie

By: Sandy Brown

Why do I love Barbie?

I am a long-time vintage Barbie collector and, at times, am a little embarrassed by the size of my collection. (In fact, part of the reason we selected our retirement home was the upstairs space it allows for me to display my collection – and even that large room seems to be getting overcrowded).

My parents couldn’t afford to give me the dolls as a child so as an adult I turned to collecting in a nostalgic way. I was really happy to discover EBay, but one of my first purchases was at a local garage sale in Crawfordsville. I found a vintage Francie, Barbie’s Mod Cousin (the word mod was used to describe her because she wore the hippest or most mod clothes) with some clothing and GI Joe items for $7. (I later sold the GI Joe items on EBay for a profit.)

I have always loved Barbie – even as a child. I envisioned her as an ideal. After all, she was a career woman – something rare in the early 1960s. Although she began as a teacher and a nurse, her options soon grew (she even was a presidential candidate in 1991). She represented that all options are open to women.

She also came with blonde, brunette or red hair. Her friends also came with all hair colors and they had unique faces as well.

And Barbie had a multitude of friends – Midge, Stacy (not to be confused with her younger sister Stacey), PJ, Teresa, Christie — just to name a few – she also had a steady boyfriend and they went off to college together. Ken had uniforms for all the armed services and also has been a doctor – among other careers. They also have wedding outfits.

Barbie could be anyone or anything a young girl could imagine. She also was / is a fashion icon. I love so many outfits from the 1970s because I remember wearing those colors and patterns.

But Barbie was also my friend. I could tell her secrets and share my ambitions with her and those things would stay between us. Yes, I could share those with any of my other dolls – but those dolls were not as understanding as Barbie because they did not share her range of experiences and opportunities I saw opening in society.

I could also influence her fashion choices and create scenarios using my imagination.

So . . . here I am . . . a retiree who still loves Barbie and spends time sewing outfits for her and sometimes creating dioramas. Barbie still makes me smile. I think she always will.

-After spending most of her life in Montgomery County, Sandy Brown retired to Kentucky in 2020.  She graduated from Manchester College (now a university) in 1979. That same year she married David Brown and moved to Crawfordsville. She worked in local journalism for many years and retired from Penguin Random House.