In December I had the chance to visit the Design Museum in London for their Barbie Exhibit. I had purchased tickets nine months earlier when I knew I was going to be in the city for the holidays. I took a boomer and a tween (Grandma and granddaughter) with me to see the show. Both are deeply lovely individuals, but neither are big on Barbies. Grandma had just missed the Barbie trend as a girl and granddaughter is firmly in the Harry Potter world. Seeing the exhibit through their eyes, and answering their questions, gave me a better insight into the day than if I'd attended with die-hard Barbie lovers. First, the exhibit is beautiful! No wonder, considering it was put on by the Design Museum. The layout, the colors, and the flow of the space were gorgeous. The rich, vibrant tones that back up every room allowed the artifacts on display to sing, without feeling overwhelmed by an onslaught of Barbie pink. The ability to focus on specific individual dolls while still telling a collec...

 I spent my childhood as a die-hard Barbie girl.  I played with Barbies throughout my childhood.  I collected Barbies into adulthood.  I have boxes of Barbies and Barbie clothes in boxes.  I have at least three Barbies currently displayed in my house.  However, the current generation of cross promotion has reached new levels. I get the girl power, hot pink items. But some of what I have seen lately belies my understanding. Naturally flavored gummy candy at Whole Foods: Yes, this year is Barbie's 65th Anniversary.  And yes last year was the juggernaut Barbie movie.  And yes femcore is in.  And who doesn't love hot pink, nostalgic roller skates, and pink lemonade gummy candy.  But, Barbie in every grocery aisle is a new phenomenon. The peaches and cream flavor on this one seems fitting, but they could have at least incorporated that 80s doll on the can. Plus, I'm not excited by the artwork here: This was the other food co-pro that made me...

I wear a watch everyday. I have since I was in middle school. I am the exact right age for the Swatch watch phenomenon - the first time around. Getting a Swatch for a birthday present was noteworthy. Everyone had at least one swatch guard, sometimes two wound together to make it look even cooler. Obviously, reading the time was secondary. As I got a bit older I continued to get and wear watches - they became symbols of identity. I had a Mickey Mouse watch, a Snoopy watch, and at some point multiple Barbie watches. There were at least two that I wore out the bands, got them replaced, and wore those out again. I have spent countless hours considering watches at Fossil stores and whatever trendy watch store might have a shop in Times Square. I still have a small jewelry box with various watches from various eras tucked away stopped at indeterminate times. Recently I added some of my dad’s watches to my box. He also wore a watch everyday of my life. He had the chunky metal every day watch ...

 I think about nostalgia a lot. Not in some weird personal way. Instead nostalgia defines a lot of the work I have done academically. My book about mixtapes is defined exclusively as a cultural examination of how nostalgia has been used as a marketing tool, gimmick, and genuine emotional pull to continue to reinforce a love of analog technology. Lately I have started thinking more and more about the role of nostalgia when considering Barbie fandom. The movie has definitely played into that consideration. There are two facets to the Barbie movie last year: you can buy Ken in a ridiculous fur coat and the Margot Robbie Barbie doll.  Fur Coat Ken Margot Robbie Barbie   But there is also a resurgence of interest in the Barbie items from the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. I was shocked to discover that the Barbie outfits I have had in a plastic bin in the basement or garage for the past 30 years are notable to current collectors. I posted some of my well-loved, far-from-pristine-c...

 Sunday is the Denver Doll & Toy Supershow . I reserved two tables in the fall. Since the holidays I have been pricing, sorting, organizing, researching, labeling, and generally getting my collection ready to sell. I learned how to use Canva to make a poster for the booth. I have a one-time sales tax license, a Clover for credit card sales, a QR code for Venmo, two printed inventories, and a slideshow of all the dolls I am bringing. Over the weekend my mom and my eldest turned my cross stitch patterns into kits to sell. If I'm not ready, it's not for lack of trying. In an ideal world, I will come home with empty boxes. In a more realistic world, I will come home tired, invigorated, having made new friends, and carrying a significantly reduced collection. Wish us (this is a joint endeavor. All hands on deck) luck!!

 As a little girl, my Grandma was a constant presence in my life. She lived two hours up the road but spent most holidays and many summers with us. The summer I turned 12, she moved to town and lived in a retirement home up the street. She gave up driving, so there was lots of ferrying Grandma back and forth to our house. As a junior high kid, I would spend one Saturday a month at Grandma's playing board games, eating lunch, and talking at her for hours. She knew all of my friend drama and always asked after my friends even into college and later. Grandma had worked for the US Department of Defense, stationed in Germany, and she bought me many of my first Barbie toys. I had the 1974 Barbie Dreamhouse - complete with working elevator. I had the 1972 Barbie Friend Ship - complete with flight attendant cart and Ken's pilot's costume. But as much as I associate Grandma with my Barbie toys as a girl, this blog is really about a different side. Grandma liked her sweets and whenev...

 This weekend a friend and I went through the clothes and the dolls that I played with as a kid (and she has an amazing memory on the clothes. This website is quite the resource if you're interested: BarbieWorld.it  ). I had A LOT of Barbies and accessories. There was the Barbie pool, the piano, the three-story townhouse. I had an RV, an airplane, and a boat. And then there were the dolls themselves. Yes, I had lots of Barbies but there were also Skippers and Midges and Christies. But today, we have to talk about Ken. This is my first Ken Doll: Roller Skating Ken c.1980. The short tight shorts, the shiny purple jacket, the Addidas style roller skates. He's so retro, what's not to love? I can't pretend to remember why six-year old me needed a Ken doll at that point. I was never as gung-ho about the guys because for me Barbie was about Fashion shows and climbing mountains, and sleepovers. But there were definitely days Ken was part of their entourage. I didn't have Ro...