My beautiful "American Girl" Barbie,my muse,wearing one of my own designs.

Me working the Winter 2006 Fort Worth,Texas doll show and sale.

I remember a television commercial..it was for a doll called Barbie...she was the most BEE-YOOOO-TI-FUL doll I had ever seen..with her long vivid pink sheer evening gown and matching tulle picture hat..she was all innocence and sunshine with her long wavy blonde hair and big,sky blue eyes...knowing what I now know as a collector I recall this commercial was for "Free-Moving Barbie",and that means it was 1975.I was seven years old.

I begged my mother for this doll.She was trying to start a career as a fashion model back then and was blonde and quite beautiful herself...this doll reminded me of her.I told her this and I think she was actually flattered.She got me the doll,of course.

Our relatives and some of her friends tried to discourage her from indulging my desire for Barbies,telling her "You know what it will do to him,Patty.You'll turn him into a 'sissy'!" ( I was already a 'sissy'.I was born that way.) She dismissed their comments,saying "Well,maybe he will be a famous fashion designer someday.Besides,it makes him happy and it doesn't hurt anyone." I will always love her for that.

My appetite for Barbie and all things Barbie related was absolutely insatiable.My mother got me pretty much all the dolls and stuff I asked for...spoiled me rotten with it..and in return I did as she asked and treated every single piece of it like pure gold.I did not "play" with them as most little girls did...acting out situations and pretending they were people and all that..instead I treated them like little mannequins..decorating their houses for the seasons and holidays..making grand party scenes..changing their clothes for all the occasions,and then displaying the scene in my room to enjoy until I got bored with it and decided it was time to make a new one.My dolls remained in almost mint condition for years,and my collection was the envy of EVERY little girl in the neighborhood.I rubbed it in by not letting them touch them..I was no fool..I saw how they treated their poor Barbies.

I went to thrift stores and yard sales and spent my allowance on used Barbies I found there..the poor things.I would bring them home and clean them and re-style their hair..gave them new clothes to wear.I made wigs for the ones who had had their hair cut off.I glued broken limbs and heads.I just knew the dolls were grateful to me for saving them.They looked happier.

Some of these used dolls were quite old,I could tell,and some of the faces I did not recognize..but I knew they were 'Barbie brand' because of their heavy vinyl and because it said so on their butts! All were welcome in my collection.

By the time I was about 13 my passion for Barbie was not fading..and at some point my mother looked at my still growing display of dolls..which by that time had reached a number of about 150...and said she thought I might be on to something..she had read an arcticle in the paper about Barbie..and that "it" was one of the fastest growing and most lucrative doll hobbys of the time.We went to the library and we found a book.

"The Collectors Encyclopedia of Barbie Dolls" was the first book published on the subject.It was,and still is,the 'Barbie Bible'. I devoured it cover to cover in a day.

All these little vinyl faces found at the yard sales and thrift shops finally had names.And dates.And VALUES! Some of the dolls were older than me! I was fascinated and thrilled! I had a 1967 Casey,A 1965 Francie,a gorgeous fuschia haired Julia,a brunette flip TnT Barbie from 1969,A fantastic titian bubblecut Barbie from 1961,a Twiggy,a standard Truly Scrumptious,and a now VERY rare Busy Steffie.So many good vintage dolls I had rescued from the sales and junk bins!Plus,I had all the dolls I had gotten new from the stores..whose names I already,of course, knew.And I memorized that book.By the time I was 14 I knew more about Barbie than most of the ladies whose doll shops I was now patronizing.I had a good reputation as a young collector,and started attending what few doll shows came to the area.The hobby was new and the dolls were still affordable,even the rarest, most pristine ones.It was heaven.

In 1984 mother and me moved to a small town outside of San Antonio so she could be with a man she was engaged to..the engagement fell apart a few months later...and we moved back to Dallas...we shipped our belongings by bus line..and my mother,foolishly,did not insure any of it...a very large box containing my most prized beautiful dolls was lost..and there was nothing we could do.I was heartbroken and bitter and I lost interest in my hobby.I forgave my mother and sold the dolls and accessories I had left to a local shop for $200.00 and forgot about Barbie for a very long time.Until 1997.

I was sitting in a bar.Drinking a beer.And down the bar from me there was a very interesting young lady.Her name was Julieann.She was wearing a hot pink feather boa.With jeans.In broad daylight.During the summer.I adored her immediately.We talked and became friends.She told me that she collected Barbie dolls.I told her that I used to collect but that my collection had been lost long ago and I had heard the hobby had become too expensive and that it was too late and I really had no interest in picking it up again...blahblahblah...I also told her my forte' had been vintage dolls,of which she said she knew very little.She wanted me to teach her about vintage dolls..and said she would catch me up on what I had missed out on with the newer stuff.I showed only a mild interest,to her dissappointment.But later,she did something very,very evil.She bought me a vintage doll.

At a doll show I was unable(and reluctant) to attend with her she picked up a 1965 standard Francie. The poor thing had had her nose chewed off by some demon-child..and she needed a lip re-paint very badly.She was nude and filthy dirty and just as ugly as she could be.I fell in love instantly,of course.Francie got a complete makeover that evening...I even made her a dress.And the next day I was at the library checking out that book again.After about a day I was back in fighting form..not a bit of my old knowledge,talent,or love for the hobby lost.And it began to grow from there.I still have that simple 1965 Francie with a nose job that Julieann bought me,and I now own over 250 Barbie and Barbie related dolls.And all their accessories.And my collection is still getting larger.They have their own room in my home now.The hobby has indeed gotten more expensive,and vintage 'fixer-upper' dolls are getting harder and harder to find..but the thrill is in the hunt..so..I love it!

Julieann and I are still friends,very good friends as a matter of fact.I have turned her into a more competitive vintage collector than myself..and she can surely hold her own amongst the most seasoned of Barbie experts..her knowledge of other types of vintage and antique dolls in general has surpassed my own.She is a doll genius.By now I'm sure you can find her on this profile.

Barbie is a perfect 3-D representation of American fashion,fads,and pop culture spanning almost 50 years,only in miniature.By having her in our lives we can own luxurious things way beyond our financial means..do things way beyond our own physical limitations,visit places where no one has ever been.She represents all our hopes and dreams..and she lives in a world where no one ever gets sick..no one is ever hungry or sad or lonely...a world where everyone is beautiful and happy and loved.And if you take the time to look into that little world,she will most happily invite you in to enjoy it with her...even if it is just for a little while.

And for that I am so very thankful