 There's a common story heard from adult male doll collectors like myself. It's about the doll that got away. As a young boy, I had to admire Barbie doll from a safe distance because of social norms that dictated what kind of toys were appropriate for a boy. Barbie was considered inappropriate, of course. I only got to play with Barbie when I was at a friend's house, or when my younger cousin wasn't playing with hers. During that time, I was also going through a huge mermaid phase. I was so into mermaids; from Disney's Ariel to the darker mermaids of lore. Many of my drawings and sketches had mermaids as a subject, from when I was about 6 years old until I was 10 or so. So when Jewel Hair Mermaid Barbie was released in 1995--I was 10 years old--this doll was the fulfillment of my childhood fantasies. I was captivated. She was a mermaid who could become human when you removed her "tail", and she had "the longest hair ever"! It even said so on the box. Every time I saw the commercial on TV, I pined for her. |
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 Haunted Beauty Vampire™ Barbie® Doll Confession: I have always had a thing for vampires. When I was eleven years old, I watched and re-watched Interview with the Vampire--the film adaptation of the Anne Rice novel--a few dozen times. I subsequently borrowed copies of Ms. Rice's Vampire Chronicles and devoured those books about the glamorous, bloodthirsty immortal beings that are now a staple of horror and pop culture. Buffy, Twilight, and Vampire Diaries, anyone? Fast forward nearly two decades later, and I am now an avid watcher of the HBO series True Blood. Perhaps I'll pick up the Charlaine Harris books, too. I am no longer obsessed with vampires, but they still hold some fascination. This may explain why I was drawn to Haunted Beauty Vampire™ Barbie® doll even though my collection is not focused on fantasy dolls. In fact, I opted not to purchase last year's Ghost™ Barbie®--the first doll in the Haunted Beauty series by designer Bill Greening. |
About the WebmasterMy name is Jared. I began collecting dolls in 2011. It all started with Barbie® Basics Model No 16 Collection 002 for me. Soon after that, I started photographing my dolls, editing the images and sharing my work on my Tumblr photoblog, Life in Plastic. "Playing" with dolls has inspired me to learn to sew, paint with acrylics, re-root doll hair, practice my bead craft, among other things...My collecting hobby turned into a passion for creating art in different media! 
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