Ken you believe it? Man, 53, hooked after rekindling Barbie doll passion

An Australian man has converted his spare bedroom into a “shrine to Barbie” with a £25,000 collection of 450 Barbie products, including Barbie and Ken dolls, dream houses and video tapes, which he says is “his pride and joy”.

Eddi Franz, 53, a single retail assistant, who lives in Sydney, Australia, began playing with Barbie dolls at the age of six, after “being desperate to have one” and his parents being “surprisingly cool about it”.

Eddi “became fascinated” with their clothes and even “made outfits for them” – looking back, he believes “Barbies subconsciously inspired (his) career in fashion”.

Over time, Eddi stopped playing with his toys and his interest in Barbie faded, and they were stored in his parents’ attic.

Eddi’s parents kept every toy he ever owned, but, when his father died, Eddi decided to throw them all away because he did not “see kids as part of (his) future” and “didn’t see the point” in keeping them.

After kick-starting his career in fashion, as a stylist, he began to research the history of Barbie and “became absolutely fascinated”.

Eddi’s friend also “collected some bits” related to Barbie, such as VHS adverts from the 1980s and 1990s, and Eddi “was obsessed with the idea of collecting”.

So, after scouring eBay, Eddi bought many dolls for around £50 which were reminiscent of his childhood, and “got hooked”, but “instantly regretted throwing (his) old toys out” as they would have been “worth loads”.

Now, he has an entire room dedicated to his approximately 400 Barbie dolls, 50 Ken dolls and 20 complexes, with his favourite doll being a Barbie number three model from the 1960s which comes with three outfits.

Eddi told PA Real Life: “Looking back, I honestly believe Barbies subconsciously inspired my career in fashion.

“The dolls made me fall in love with clothes and fashion and taught me about what was fashionable at the time.

“I even made outfits for them and taught myself to sew.

“When you look at Barbies over the years, their style is so of the time.”

Eddi began playing with Barbie dolls when he was six years old.

He said: “I remember seeing them at my dad’s Christmas party – they were giving out Barbies to the girls, and cars to the boys.

“As soon as I saw them I remember being desperate to have one.

“I even went around asking the girls to swap with me and attempting dealings with them.

“None of them would give their dolls up; I mean, fair enough, but my parents got me one for my birthday – it felt like the best day ever and they were just surprisingly so cool about it.”

As Eddi got older, he stopped playing with his dolls and they were put in his parents’ attic.

He said: “They were adamant on keeping them all in case I had kids but I didn’t see kids as part of my future so didn’t see the point in keeping them really.

“So, when my dad died, I threw them out.”

By the age of 35, Eddi was working in fashion as an illustrator, stylist and fashion editor, and started researching the history of Barbie as part of an assignment.

“I became absolutely fascinated with their history and how they reflected the fashion of the time,” he said.

“I have a friend who collected some bits like VHS adverts of Barbie, and I took one of them home.

“I watched it loads and I was obsessed with the idea of collecting from then on really.”

Eddi spent the next few weeks constantly checking eBay for new finds, and bought himself a few dolls for around £50.

He said: “The first dolls I bought actually reminded me of my childhood – I instantly regretted throwing my old toys out – they would have been worth loads.”

Over time, Eddi has spent approximately £25,000 (50,000 Australian dollars) on his collection.

Now, he has an entire room dedicated to his approximately 400 Barbie dolls, 50 Ken dolls and 20 complexes, with his favourite doll being a Barbie number three model from the 1960s which costed him around £500.

He said: “It comes with three outfits and she has her hair in a ponytail, her face is a lot softer, and it was featured in the Barbie movie.

“I also love my Growing Up Skipper – a Barbie whose breasts grow when you lift them up as if she is going through puberty, that is a fun one.”

He also has a range of Ken dolls and owns every Barbie complex, including the dream house, from 1962 to 1977.

He said: “I love all of my Ken dolls – I have really old ones and a lot of the diverse ones, such as an African-American one, which a lot of people don’t realise they made.

“I have about 20 complexes and old shop displays, and I display all of the toys as if they are in a shop – it’s like my own shrine to Barbie.

“My collection is honestly my pride and joy.”

Since the Barbie movie was released, Eddi has noticed that the price of collectable dolls has increased.

He said: “I think there is now another wave of Barbie fans, which is amazing.

“I absolutely loved the movie – I thought it had something for everyone, and Greta Gerwig, the director, included some Easter Eggs for us collectors, like the more unusual dolls.

“I just loved it, and I love to see other people being fascinated with Barbie – I just loved seeing all the fashion choices in it too.”

Eddi revealed what visitors think of his unique room: “Obviously some people love it more than others, which is totally fine.

“But I think, on the whole, most people find it super interesting.

“Often, it’s people who you think won’t like it, or I feel a little embarrassed showing, that love it.

“I had a few tradesmen in recently because we had a pipe burst and my apartment was flooded, but luckily didn’t get to the Barbies, and they loved it – they asked if they could take photos.”

Looking to the future, Eddi is hoping to one day find a rare doll from the 1970s which was made using old Barbie parts.

He said: “They were made in Japan and were a hybrid of parts from other Barbie dolls, including heads from rarer dolls.

“But, their clothing is really beautiful and expensive – they usually cost the equivalent of a few thousand pounds.”