Over the weekend we were looking at the Barbie Doll selection at a departmental store’s toy section. We were looking for a wedding theme Barbie with her matching groom, Ken. We didn’t quite find the pair.

But it brought back fond memories of how my cousins and I enjoyed our Barbie moments. We each had a Barbie, with the exception of Mary who had a Ken instead. We had a fair selection of clothes for our dolls and ever imaginative minds to conjure up things for our dolls to do – attending some balls, sporting events, shopping, etc. We groomed and dressed the dolls, had pretend conversations between one Barbie with another, and experimented with how the doll could bend this way or that way. We had some pretty good times.

Another cousin, Vicky, who lived in JB was also a fan of Barbie. Whenever we visited during the school holidays, my Barbie never missed a trip. Vicky’s mom is very good at craft works and so her Barbie had gorgeous custom made outfits and furniture like wardrobe and bed. She even made hangers to fit the wardrobe! I got lucky too, as my aunt would also make some for me so I too enjoyed the unique Barbie clothes that I knew no one else would have.

Looking back, I don’t know what all the big fuss was. It was just the “in” thing to have and it seemed an addictive toy. Now, there are so many Barbie-wanna-be dolls and I wonder if they are still as popular. I wonder if most girls grow up wanting to be like a glamorous Barbie figure…