2023-07-21 11:27:00
Bettina Dorfmann received her first Barbie doll as a gift from her parents when she was six years old: in 1967. “Then I got not just a doll, but a girlfriend. And as it turned out, for life,” says Bettina Dorfman. She lives in Düsseldorf and has the world’s largest collection of Barbies: 18.5 thousand dolls! And got into the Guinness Book of Records.
Barbie collection: how a hobby became a profession
Already in childhood, Bettina had almost three dozen Barbie dolls. Later, in high school, she stopped playing with them and put them in the attic. And she remembered them many years later, when her daughter began to play with dolls. But not in those maternal ones: they were too old-fashioned for the daughter, but in new ones, from the “sports” series.
Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Karmann
In the mid-1980s, Bettina Dorfman opened a women’s clothing store, and Barbie dolls adorned its windows. And an amazing thing: buyers were interested in dolls almost more often than in clothes. In the end, the store had to be closed, and the “chosen” dolls (there were already several thousand of them) migrated first to the shelves in the living room, and later to a specially equipped room in Bettina’s house. The rest were in boxes in the pantry. By this time, Bettina Dorfman had become famous among collectors. And she did not just collect Barbies: she began to repair and restore dolls, opening the only workshop in Germany called “Barbie Doll Clinic”.
Keeping the dolls just in the pantry was a pity. Bettina began to organize thematic exhibitions. One of them was called “Barbie of different times.” She enjoyed great success not only in Germany. The exhibition has been on the road for nine years, of which two and a half years – in China, then – in Spain, Hungary and other European countries.
When Bettina Dorfman was invited to work as an expert and consultant at the Museum of Dolls and Toys in Ratingen, she gladly accepted. By this time, Bettina realized that she had managed to turn her hobby into a profession. In addition to consulting services, Bettina makes money by renting out rare dolls for various events. She is the author of five Barbie books, is a frequent contributor to specialist publications, and provides expert services in evaluating toy collections for sale or when litigation is underway. But most of all Bettina organizes exhibitions.
Barbie has changed
The current Barbie no longer wears pink, she is dressed in faded jeans, a khaki jacket and a gray tank top, and on her feet are not traditional high heels, but stylish white sneakers. There is a Barbie in a wheelchair. There is – far from the former “ideal” – fit, slender, but not skinny.
According to Bettina Dorfman, Barbie has always been an emancipated girl and personified not only the fashion of different eras. She embodied the dreams of many children: she was a doctor, an archaeologist, a veterinarian, a flight attendant, a pilot, an astronaut and even a US presidential candidate. “When environmental organizations sounded the alarm about the declining bee population, Barbie the beekeeper immediately appeared on sale,” Bettina notes.
Mattel released a special series a couple of years ago, which included more than twenty Barbies in national costumes from different countries. However, in some Muslim countries – for example, in Iran and Saudi Arabia – Barbie is banned because it allegedly contradicts the traditions and rules of Islam. There she is considered too feminine. But many feminists criticize the doll precisely because Barbie is too much in line with the traditional stereotype: thin, long-legged, with a narrow waist, large breasts.
In November 2017, the Hijab-wearing Barbie was released in the United States. The prototype of the doll was the American Muslim fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, who wears a hijab in all competitions. Popular, especially among collectors, have become double dolls of celebrities: Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy, Whitney Houston.
Ibtihaj Muhammad and Barbie in hijabPhoto: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/Invision/ E. Agostini
Barbie celebrated her 60th birthday in 2019. Dolls from the collection of Bettina Dorfman are now stored in different places. One and a half thousand – in the exposition of the Museum of Dolls and Toys, part – in various German museums and abroad. The rest are in Bettina’s house. Everything is carefully described and catalogued.
Many Barbie models are in two copies: one serves as an exhibit, the other remains in the storeroom. There are also rare specimens that are of particular value to collectors. The collection is insured. For what amount? The owner refuses to speak. However, it is clear that a fortune is invested in the collection. And Bettina Dorfman continues to buy new Barbie models. “This is my life,” she says.
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