BARBIE-LICIOUS REAL LIFE
Duane Barrett-Johns, 35, from Cornwall, thinks that life in plastic truly is fantastic!
Logging onto eBay, I scanned the new listings eagerly.
Gazing at alimitededition doll of my favourite Disney character, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, Ihad my eyes on the prize.
Ihave to get her! Ithought to myself. I’ll pay anything.
With her golden blonde hair and iconic blue dress, adorable Alice was going to be the latest addition to my over 200-strong doll collection.
Having amassed most of the limited-edition Disney Princess doll range, there was an Alice-shaped gap in my glass display cases in my spare room –my mini doll museum.
She can go right there, I thought, gazing at the perfect slot in between Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and Rapunzel.
Entering my bid for around £350, Iwaited in anticipation. ‘Yes!’ I exclaimed, as my purchase was confirmed.
‘Do you really need another doll?’ my husband Nick, 36, sighed. ‘We don’t have any more space.’
Despite being supportive of my doll obsession, Nick didn’t truly understand it.
But he was right –our spare room was almost full.
‘I’ll find space for them,’ I replied with acheeky smile.
Iwas already buzzing for Alice to arrive.
When Iwas three years old, I gravitated towards dolls instead of the stereotypical toys for boys.
Move over He-Man –it was Barbie that caught my eye!
Perusing through acar boot sale with my grandmother Brenda, Igazed at the toys.
‘You can have whatever you want,’ she told me.
Rummaging through the boxes, I pulled out aragged doll and named her Sharshi.
From there, my fascination with dolls escalated.
For every Christmas and birthday, my mum Vanessa, 59, and my dad Mark, 60, bought me more dolls.
When I started primary school, Iwas excited to share my love of dolls, even bringing them into class with me.
Only, Ihad anasty surprise.
My classmates, mostly other boys, teased me for it and called me the ‘Barbie boy’.
The teasing continued throughout secondary school. But despite everything, I never gave up my love for dolls.
Now I’m an adult and earning my own money as a singer, I splash the cash on the dolls Icould never afford.
Every month, I pay off my bills and then delegate whatever is leftover to expanding my doll collection.
With new drops from
