Subscribe to RSS Feed
Celebration of Barbie turning 50!
During the current Victorian school holidays mothers and daughters and friends along with fathers and daughters (largely) are trouping along in their hundreds (perhaps thousands eventually) to celebrate the turning of 50 for this iconic doll.
Well that is the impression my daughter and I got when we travelled down to Melbourne this week (by train – the best way I think to get into the heart of the city) in order to see this exhibition.
We had pre purchased our tickets at Target and went along to this show expecting to be the oldest ones there. How wrong we were; in fact for a while as we commenced our trip down memory lane, it was difficult to even spot a child. Eventually the children did filter through the throngs of women of all ages who were reliving their childhood through the display of Barbies from the first one in 1959 right through to current dolls.
I felt a little like the four year old girl in front of me who was going along each glass fronted display, finger pointing to each doll and saying out loud ‘I like…I like…I like…’ After all there were so many dolls to choose from, which ones were my favourite? I finally decided that the dolls that had been made in likeness to famous people such as Elvis, Elizabeth Taylor (my 19 y.o. daughter asked me who she was) and Audrey Hepburn (due to a recent viewing of Funny Face at the local Star Cinema see my other bloghttp://www.ourpatch.com.au/bendigo/users/stlg48/blogs/1119-funny-face-star-cinema she knew of this star) as well as the set of knitted clothes and timber dolls’ wardrobe that some Nanna had made for her granddaughter were mine.
Once we had viewed the exhibition it was time to venture into the chaos that was the sales shop.
The queue to the checkout was long and seemed to edge along at a snail’s pace.
Kath and I decided to choose a Design your own Barbie and had fun choosing the doll, (there were 4) and her clothes – a somewhat limited choice but still it was fun. Costing $39.95 it wasn’t a bad price given the uniqueness of the doll and the memories that went with it – a time spent between mother and daughter, reliving old Barbies and seeing many ones we’d never seen before!
Then we had to join the queue in order to pay for the doll before it was to be assembled. 20 -25 minutes later we were excitedly waiting for the doll to come out of the hole in the wall that was guarded by a staff member.
It was while waiting for the Barbie that I spoke to one woman who was wearing a gold Barbie silhouette necklace. I complimented her on it and asked why she had it. She replied that it had been an anniversary present from her hubby and then promptly showed me the matching gold bracelet on her wrist.
I had to quietly chuckle at another woman who took a phone call and began complaining about the show, the prices and the crowd – but already had several items in her hands and was queuing up to design her own Barbie.
Barbie is of course a personal choice, but for all who remember having one doll – or even one of the replicas that have also been around for as long, the show is a one-off experience to be shared with family or friends.
Some tips before going:
1. Pre book your ticket at Target and save $2.50
2. Plan to wear comfortable shoes.
3. Wear layers of garments so that you can take your winter woollies off in the very warm tents in which the show is held.
4. Be prepared to wait and wait in queues.
5. Don’t take a camera as they are not allowed.
6. If you go down by train from the country don’t forget the fare includes free tram travel – use it if you plan to shop after (unless you have boundless energy and are fitter than I – which I guess is not too hard to be.)
7. If you want to create your own Barbie, take along $40.00 and you will get 5 cents change.
8. If you want to save more money, don’t go to the show, but go around the back where the shop is located and have a good look at all the Barbies and paraphernalia for sale.
9. If you really want a treat, have lunch in one of the many food alleys that line the streets of Melbourne (we caught a tram to Bourke Street Mall and wandered from there until we found one we liked the look of.)
10. The ultimate decadence is to visit KOKO Black in the Royal Arcade for afternoon tea. You can have a coffee or pot of tea and a plate of mousse with chocolate bikkies for around $10.00.
