I received my first Barbie doll in 1963. A bubble cut, who I still own today. I also have the house and airplane I received just a few years later.
I can't take all the credit for keeping my toys. I am the oldest girl, so when I tired of Barbie (yes hard to believe) my mother put them away for my younger sisters to play with when they were old enough. But, neither girl ever played with Barbie, preferring baby dolls. So Barbie and all her accessories stayed in the attic until the day I moved out.
As I was loading up the car for the last trip, my mother came outside and handed me two big boxes. I was surprised to see my old playthings, and put the doll house back up in my new home.
I started collecting again in earnest when Star Trek Barbie and Ken arrived on the scene, and have never looked back. My collection now includes 12 cars (including the vintage red Ferrari) 7 homes and a small village worth of dolls.
Some of my vintage outfits are on dolls, others are in shadow boxes. I hope to some day turn my unfinished third floor walk in attic into a large Barbie village. Complete with a shopping mall, several homes and an Airport. Gotta do something with the Airplane, I have a pilot and a flight attendant.
