My Favorite Childhood Barbie

I’m about to show my age off with this post, brace yourself. When I was younger I had quite a few Barbies, they all had one thing in common: blonde hair. I don’t recall if all of them had blue eyes or not, but I remember being disappointed at a lack of variety in their hair. After all, while I’d sported lighter, dirty-blonde locks as a child, my hair had darkened as I got older. I was hoping at that age it would turn black, like my mother’s, but it wasn’t meant to be (despite my mandatory goth phase in high school).

The stores in my local area had fairly limited selections of Barbies and they tended to gravitate toward the golden-haired beauties and the latest holiday Barbie. I saved my pennies and bought myself dolls from time to time, and, of course, on Christmas and birthdays, I asked for dolls or doll-related things. There were exceptions, of course, like Nintendo Games and “My Pet Monster”, but what child of the ‘80’s didn’t want one of those?

Then, one day as I perused the doll aisle, I spotted her. A black-haired, Native American Barbie. She was the 1994, 2nd Edition Native American Barbie and it was love at first sight.

At the time, I didn’t have enough money to purchase her, but my mother could see just how excited I was.  “Mom, she has hair just like you!”, I meant every word, even though I admit there was likely some manipulation tossed in there, too.  Granted, my mom was older and had much more character to her face, but this was as close as I’d ever gotten and I wasn’t about to let this beauty escape my grasp. 

She took over my Barbie-playtime completely – she had first pick of the clothes, the best story lines, and, of course, she replaced my other Barbie as the romantic interest for my 1991 “Brandon” Ken Doll.  After her purchase, I stopped asking for dolls; I just wanted clothes and accessories for her.  Even when Belle of Beauty and the Beast (1996) came out, a brunette like yours truly, I continued playing with this doll.  I can remember absolutely adoring her and yet, as I think about it now, I don’t recall her name.  I have a fuzzy idea that it might have been “Sylvia”, but I can’t be sure. 

Since I started looking at Barbies again, I’ve thought about ordering another one.  I even found someone selling one on Etsy a while back – pre-loved with both original and custom outfit – unfortunately, they never sent her to me and I had to request a refund.  I’m hesitant to order another, not because I’m worried about refunds or shady salespeople, but because I’m not sure I want to tread on my childhood memories.  Is that strange? 

Update, I caved:

She arrived from Ebay yesterday. Her box was terribly de-colored with this odd orange hue, but I didn’t plan on keeping her confined, anyway. I’m not yet sure if I’ll have her repainted or not. I may just have one doll that remains untouched.

Anyway, thanks for taking this little stroll down memory lane with me.  What were some of your favorite dolls as a child?