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We all grew up adoring Barbie dolls and some of us even had an elaborate collection with dolls of every shape and size. One such person who has taken their obsession with Barbies to the greatest extent is a 62-year-old superfan, Bettina Dorfmann from Germany, who has been collecting the iconic doll for over 30 years.
First launched by American toy company Mattel in 1959, Barbie quickly gained global recognition. Children around the world were desperate to get their hands on the different versions of Barbie and her boyfriend Ken. Over the years, Barbie has been created in the image of different races and just about every career you could possibly think of.
Bettina has held the record for the largest collection of Barbie dolls since 2005. She overtook Tony Mattia from the UK who had 1,125 Barbie dolls, with her collection of 2,500 dolls.
Since then, her collection has only grown in leaps and bounds. Today, she amasses 18,500 of them.
Bettina started collecting Barbie dolls seriously in 1993, however, she had received her very first doll in 1966 when she was merely five years old. “I love Barbie dolls because I played with them in my childhood, and it was a very good time for me,” she told Guinness World Records.
The doll collector has managed to make a career out of exhibiting her dolls and writing books about Barbie. However, her expertise is not only limited to that, she also has a unique ‘doll hospital’ where she repairs dolls for others.
After the release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, starring Margot Robbie as the titular character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, Bettina has already ordered the dolls released for the latest film.
Talking about her repair business, she told the records organisation that back in the 90s she started repairing her own dolls and buying replacement parts for them. Eventually, collectors at toy trade fairs started asking her to restore their dolls’ hair and makeup or replace missing eyelashes.
Her journey as a ‘Barbie doctor’ however began while attending toy fairs where she witnessed dolls in horrible states. Today, she charges anything between $5.60 for quick repairs that can be done on the spot to $336.01 for more complex repairs, which need more time and effort.
“Barbie is mirror of our times. Through her, we can see how the world has changed — including women’s careers from the 50s to today,” she told Guinness World Records.
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