Bettina, a 62-year-old woman from Dusseldorf, Germany, shared how her passion for Barbie dolls began in her childhood and evolved into a collection she has maintained for 28 years. Although her daughter did not show much interest in the dolls, Bettina found an enduring fascination with them that led her to collect them.
Over the years, she has displayed her impressive collection in museums and shopping malls, drawing thousands of visitors during exhibitions. With the recent release of the Barbie movie, she has noticed an increase in interest and demand for her catalogs, which detail the prices of the dolls and their clothes.
In addition to collecting and displaying dolls, Bettina also runs a Barbie “clinic,” where she performs repairs on damaged dolls. These repairs can vary from lower costs of around 10 euros to considerably higher sums, reaching 500 or 600 euros if it is a rare model.
The Barbie movie has been a success at the North American box office, reaching the best gross of 2023 with 155 million dollars during its release weekend. The film has been backed by a pink marketing campaign by toy group Mattel, which introduced the first Barbie doll in 1959.
Bettina’s passion for Barbie dolls has proven to be timeless and continues to be appreciated by people of different ages and generations.