Superstar Barbie. She was my favorite. I cannot fathom the idea of Barbie missing off the shelves at Wal-Mart. What will I do at Christmas if I cannot hustle down the toy aisle and sneak a peak at the Holiday Barbie? Is it really Barbie's fault I don't have a 50-13-24 inch figure? ( I know, I created my own measurements according to scale, but I love her.) I don't have any little girls, but if I did, Barbie would be in my shopping cart every birthday, holiday, you name it. My Great-Grandma Audrey, Grandma Norma and Aunt Sadie all made me clothes for Barbie. She didn't just lay around naked for the world to see. She had things to do, people to see and places to go. She travelled, by airplane and Corvette. If I remember correctly I think she even drove that Corvette to Hawaii, from Missouri. She visited relatives in Alaska, New England, California, and many other locations. She lived in a townhouse with a working elevator. AND had her own personal elevator operator named Lisa. With that soon came a pool and floatie. Pets. Clothes. More clothes. Barbie ate on fine Barbie china with cups. She did not require utensils. And she had fine manners that would make even Martha Stewart turn green with envy. She played tennis, softball, and danced.
On occasion, Barbie had visitors. Sleepovers were enjoyed by SunTan Tuesday Taylor, Jessica, Mitzi and others. Sometimes celebrities even dropped by the ole townhouse. I would never be surprised to run the elevator for Farrah Fawcett, Wonder Woman, and Cher. Fun times were had when these ladies got together.
If the girls weren't coming over, Ken would be ringing the doorbell. He loved Barbie. Romance was always in the air with Ken around. GI Joe was not a favorite of Barbie. She tried, but her heart wasn't in it. She much preferred the clean shaven, confident Ken. Several times a week they pulled off an elaborate wedding. It was never tiring. Even back then, Barbie's wedding(s) would waaaayyyy outdo any Platinum Wedding from the WE network. Aunt Sadie (who lived next door) wouldn't be surprised to see nuptials taking place on the adventurous terrain of the gravel driveway, the forest of an overgrown backyard, the Parthenon of front steps, or even the rustic old dog house. There were plenty of weddings and the best thing, Ken was always happy just to be there.
Over the past few months I've heard parents say things about not letting their children watch a particular iconic figure just because it drove them crazy. My parents never stopped me from watching Sesame Street, the Electric Company, or Captain Kangaroo. Nor did they ever say, "Sorry Lisa, we think Barbie is a bad influence. She is a little peculiar. We think she likes little girls. Therefore to teach you how to be a better future woman of the world,we are confiscating all of your Barbies and Barbie paraphenalia."
Barbie was confident. She was fun loving, adventurous, daring, elegant, thoughtful, creative, optimistic, eager and boy, could she ever tell a story!
Barbie was able to help me get my creative juices flowing. She went for terrific rides on that airplane. Going to many places I'll only ever dream of. Even as a child I had dreams. I suppose children still do? My heart breaks at the thought of parents not letting their children pursue fun and creativity just because they can't tolerate them. My heart breaks at the thought government may now think little girls cannot be taught to be responsible by the parents who created them. I am saddened by the fact, parents cannot be responsible to take the time to teach their children that inner beauty is the most beautiful and outer beauty is just a bonus.
Real Barbies know beauty radiates from the inside out. My Barbies didn't run around naked, drive too fast, cuss or dance on a pole.
I make a motion, from my computer desk, to get rid of politicians and put Barbie in charge. In 50 years she has seen a lot of change. She, however, remains as poised and as beautiful as the day she was created. Maybe we could learn from her...
HERE'S TO YOU BARBIE...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
You will forever remain in my heart as the bestest friend a girl could have,
love,
lisa d.
11 comments:
I recieved my first Barbie when I was 9 on a Christmas morning, I'll never forget the thrill of finally owning her:) People that want to get rid of her are to me just plain nuts!!!
Rondell
I loved playing with Barbie and can totally relate to you. My daughter is 8 and has never liked her! I have tried and tried, but when she was old enough to figure it out, she said that she didn't like her because she had boobs!! LOL!
I wonder if, at her age she is getting a touch of arthritis! I had a daughter who wasn't into dolls of any kind, and her daughter wasn't into Barbie's, but I collected them from everywhere and bought so many outfits second hand to go with second hand Barbie's, and of course my granddaughters played with them by the hour when they came to visit Nana. She has had many good lives!
I blame a bunch of things for the insecure, screwed up mess of a person, that is me, but Barbie does not play into that mix. Barbie is a doll, not some evil force. I still have my first Barbie.
I let my daughter play with Bratz dolls....oooh, so terrible. So far she seems to be morally intact.
Love it! I played with my Barbie dolls all the time. I had the dream home complete with an elevator. It didn't work all that well, but in my imagination it did. My Barbie drove an army jeep stolen/borrowed from my brother's GI Joe! You stirred up a lot of memories. Maybe I will pull out my daughter's old barbies and tell them Happy Birthday! Have a great day!
Great post ... I missed the Barbie era, but my daughter made it...
What a delightful post! Barbie and I were inseparable during my youth. Everyone made clothes for me for the holidays. I had beautiful crocheted dresses and wraps. The only thing I asked for in my stocking was shoes!
How wonderful!!! I didn't know it was her birthday! That's so cool. I loved reading about your Barbies. Not very many girls out there that don't have a Barbie Memory of some kind.. Yours are great!
I didn't know it was her birthday! I have many Barbie memories too. I had the Barbie swimming pool and thought it was the best until my best friend got the Barbie Penthouse...that was the coolest thing ever. I have two boys and I would be buying Barbies all the time too if I had girls.
I can totally remember playing with Barbie. We would set up entire homes using cigar boxes for beds and spam cans for furniture.
OMG... do I sound old??
She is just as beautiful~ but we seem to have aged in the last 50 years.
Hi Lisa...what a great post!! We all have such fond memories of Miss Barbie...What's with the walmart thing...they aren't going to be selling her anymore?? The only thing Barbie never did and maybe she has but we have never been able to find a "Lawyer Barbie"....my daughter....the lawyer...was highly insulted when she called Mattel... when she was back in law school... and they told her no Lawyer Barbie....she actually told them that they should be ashamed of themselves for having a "Gap" Barbie but no lawyer...her argument was would you rather have your daughter be a cashier at the Gap or have her be a Lawyer....she had a good point!!
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