A 40-year-old mum has spent £3,500 in the last five months amassing a collection of 70 Barbie dolls.
Clare Rawling has forked out on vintage dolls and accessories spanning six decades from the 1960s after falling back in love with the famous Barbie doll.
She also boasts a collection of outfits, props and sets which she plays with by arranging them in scenarios and taking pictures for social media.
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Clare, who runs a vintage film poster business, was “obsessed” with Barbie as a youngster and cherished her childhood collection.
She had an entire floor of her house dedicated to her favourite toy as a child but moved on aged 11 when girls at school began teasing her. But in February, nearly three decades later, the mum-of-one decided to roll back the years and now she boasts a 70-strong collection.
The majority of her Barbies are vintage dolls from the late 1980s and early 1990s.
However, since delving back in she has fallen in love with some of Mattel toy company’s newer toys because of their increased range of movement.
The mum-of-one said: “Sometimes I have to remind myself I’m 40. It’s hard to explain the feeling Barbie gives me, it’s very nostalgic and they bring back lots of happy memories. They bring me joy, it’s as simple as that.”
Clare’s fascination with Barbie started when she was a child and her obsession was so intense that her dad converted the loft of their home into Clare’s own playspace.
She said: “I remember being massively into Barbie from around age seven to 11. I loved them so much.
“I enjoyed the aesthetics, they were so pretty, and really loved all the accessories. I have lots of lovely Barbie memories. I would have kept playing with them but girls were being mean to me at school.”
Clare said she gave her mum permission to sell her original collection when she moved out because she didn’t want to take them all with her.
She added: “Little did I know then I would wish I had kept them.”
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Clare hadn’t paid much thought to her favourite childhood pastime until February this year when she saw one of her other treasured childhood possessions for sale on eBay.
Her husband Colin, 56, bought her the toy, an ‘Oh Penny’ doll - which set Clare’s mind racing about how else she might be able to roll back the years.
She said: “I turned 40 and we couldn’t go out because of the restrictions so I said, ‘I know I’m 40 but can I have everything Barbie?’
“I asked for everything to be pink and for a doll’s house as my present.”
Since then Clare has jumped in at the deep end by accumulating a staggering 70 dolls in the space of a few months, as well as dozens of accessories.
She said: “I have never had a connection with anything like this before, you think it’s just Barbie but it’s a bit of a rabbit hole when you get into it. Everything you can get in real life, you can get in Barbie too. It’s amazing.”
Clare’s first purchase was a vintage United Colors of Benetton doll from the early 1990s, which she bought from eBay for £179.
She said: “I wanted that one so badly because I remember it from my childhood. I initially wanted to collect dolls from the 80s and 90s but as I started learning more I realised the new ones were really good too.”
Now her collection spans each decade from the 1960s, with most of her vintage examples costing between £100 and £200.
She has even had dolls custom made to look like her, her husband Colin and their 12-year-old son Zach.
In addition to dolls, Clare also has outfits, props and sets, many of which are bespoke made items.
She said that nowadays her enjoyment doesn’t come from playing with the toys, but from taking pictures of them and making stop motion videos.
Clare added: “I didn’t expect it at all but my passion now is all about videography and photography. I like getting the dolls into little scenarios that I think up then snapping away. It’s really fun.”
She shares her creations on her Instagram page, which is called ‘vintagebarbieclare’.
Clare said: “I wasn’t expecting to find this passion at the age of 40 but I’m so happy I did, I’m having a great time.”
