05:17Barbie girl in a Barbie world! German collector shows off world's biggest Barbie doll exhibit
World-famous doll collector Bettina Dorfmann started small with her childhood Barbies and developed an empire of 18,000 dolls, as seen on Sunday in Dusseldorf.
The children's toy collection can be admired at the East Frisian State Museum in the seaport city of Emden through August 26 under the title 'Busy girl – Barbie makes a career.'
Dorfmann started growing her Barbie collection almost 26 years ago and has showcased it at doll-themed exhibitions, museums and stores. Part of her exhibition is kept at the Ratingen Doll and Toy Museum, and the rest are displayed at her home.
"Back then, I started small with my collection. Those were the dolls from my childhood, and I just wanted to add a few more, and it started relatively early that I started showing at exhibitions, in museums and so on and then, of course, I needed a lot more dolls, and then one or the other came along, and now I own over 18,000 Barbie dolls," stated Bettina.
Keeping the collection in good condition is not an easy task stated Bettina, "Everything really must be in great condition, and you have to watch out for the vinyl compounds that change with dust. Then you have to look at how you store them and always check them."
Dorfmann has five entries in the Guinness World Book of Records, thanks to her vinyl plastic collection.
The Southern California 11 inch (29 cm) tall doll came out in 1959 and was produced by Mattel, Inc. Her image was based on the German Lilli doll, which was based on a comic strip from the newspaper Bild.
Throughout history, Barbie dolls have attracted criticism for the image of women they convey. Her skinny arms, long legs, narrow waist, and big breasts do not reflect a natural, proportionate body and could be a novice stereotype.
Others argue that she was portrayed as a woman of several professions; a doctor, pilot, astronaut, and even a presidential candidate, and was not only relegated to homemaking roles.
05:17World-famous doll collector Bettina Dorfmann started small with her childhood Barbies and developed an empire of 18,000 dolls, as seen on Sunday in Dusseldorf.
The children's toy collection can be admired at the East Frisian State Museum in the seaport city of Emden through August 26 under the title 'Busy girl – Barbie makes a career.'
Dorfmann started growing her Barbie collection almost 26 years ago and has showcased it at doll-themed exhibitions, museums and stores. Part of her exhibition is kept at the Ratingen Doll and Toy Museum, and the rest are displayed at her home.
"Back then, I started small with my collection. Those were the dolls from my childhood, and I just wanted to add a few more, and it started relatively early that I started showing at exhibitions, in museums and so on and then, of course, I needed a lot more dolls, and then one or the other came along, and now I own over 18,000 Barbie dolls," stated Bettina.
Keeping the collection in good condition is not an easy task stated Bettina, "Everything really must be in great condition, and you have to watch out for the vinyl compounds that change with dust. Then you have to look at how you store them and always check them."
Dorfmann has five entries in the Guinness World Book of Records, thanks to her vinyl plastic collection.
The Southern California 11 inch (29 cm) tall doll came out in 1959 and was produced by Mattel, Inc. Her image was based on the German Lilli doll, which was based on a comic strip from the newspaper Bild.
Throughout history, Barbie dolls have attracted criticism for the image of women they convey. Her skinny arms, long legs, narrow waist, and big breasts do not reflect a natural, proportionate body and could be a novice stereotype.
Others argue that she was portrayed as a woman of several professions; a doctor, pilot, astronaut, and even a presidential candidate, and was not only relegated to homemaking roles.