Barbie

Barbie's turning 50. I wish I could look that good now while I'm in my thirties.

My Barbie's were probably my most beloved toys when I was young. I can still remember the day when my neighbor, who was an older girl, called and asked if I would like to have her Barbie house. Forget Santa! I had hit it big with the tall townhouse with the elevator on a string. I even got the furniture with it! I spent endless hours rearranging the furniture.

I wasn't all caught up in the "Barbie" image. I didn't care that she had the perfect body or a zillion careers. I just wanted to dress her up and fix her hair. Well, and give her hair cuts, pierce her ears with stick pins, and dress her up again. I can't tell you how many dolls I had that had been decapitated. I just stuck their heads back on and eventually they would start to rip under the chin from being stretched.

Eventually, I learned how to take the town home apart and turn it into a two story ranch style abode. At Christmas, my Barbie house was decked out! Everything from a tree to a dining room table complete with the fine china and Christmas dinner. And the wreath and presents, no less. It looked like Chevy Chase had hung lights on the outside. I did receive the yellow Corvette with the attached controller as a hand-me-down also. However, my Barbie preferred to drive around in her black and tan Tonka jeep.

I had all sorts of Barbie's. I had at least three of the original vintage ones. They're probably all headless now. The horse was part of my beloved collection, too. Most of mine had the obnoxiously huge hair of the eighties. I remember burning one of the doll's hair with the curling iron. Ugh!

Still to this day, I am fascinated with Barbie. Don't know what it is that I find so captivating. I do know it's fascinating to know she's transcended through so many generations. Kathryn has a bunch of them because of that. However, we're a little selective with which fashion statements get to enter our home. I tried to get to the anniversary edition, but Target was sold out of them before I even saw the ad in the paper. I'm going to keep looking though. Maybe when the kids leave home, I'll pull them out and play with them again.