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May 03, 2024

In a world of plastic, why shouldn’t Barbies (and more) last forever?

AUGUST 30 — Thanks to the Barbie movie, the doll collector market has been painful for actual collectors as wannabe doll speculators try to sell that Barbie they found under the bed for quick cash.

AUGUST 30 — Thanks to the Barbie movie, the doll collector market has been painful for actual collectors as wannabe doll speculators try to sell that Barbie they found under the bed for quick cash.

For new collectors, they have had to reckon with prices that have doubled almost overnight for dolls only a few years old.

While the original “first Barbie” has always been an expensive Holy Grail for Barbie collectors, even cheaper reproductions of the doll are now selling for two to three times their original price even used.

It isn’t all bad, though. I’ve found, as a collector who has come back to the game, bargains can still be found and what excites me now is the world of restoration and customisation in the doll world.

If I poke around the corners of the internet I can find original mould Barbies from the 60s or early 70s, sold at cheap prices due to discolouration, missing outfits or broken pieces.

With YouTube, Reddit and Facebook there are plenty of resources for aspiring doll restorers to repaint their dolls, give them new clothes and limbs and give their dolls a kind of personal value that isn’t the same as a brand new, current doll in a pristine box.

It’s not just dolls. It fascinates me, seeing people repurpose broken furniture, mend torn clothes to the point they look brand new and extend the life of beloved objects instead of casting them away.

One of my favourite groups on Facebook is one dedicated to making doll items and dioramas from everyday objects.

From miniature stools made from toothpicks and bottle caps, to mimicking porcelain with sandpaper and paint, it’s a nice respite from the horrors of the world to see people sharing their creativity.

As inflation bites I wonder if more people think about making their clothes last longer, or finding other solutions that do not involve online shopping.

It is a problem, dealing with items that are nonbiodegradable — so it is more imperative that we find better things to do with plastic, apart from burning it in incinerators or shipping it off to be dumped on the shores of some hapless countries.

With the revelation that we are all now composed of plastic in some way, thanks to the constant exposure to microplastics, there needs to be more done in figuring out not just how we can reuse it, but how to live with it.

Microplastics have been found in our blood, and there is growing concern about its effects on our health and just how we can remedy possible side effects.

Trying to limit our exposure to plastics seems nigh impossible with how they are everywhere — from packaging to home appliances, so a sea change needs to happen.

We need to better utilise the plastic we do have while urging companies to stop drowning the world in plastic, except where it’s needed (such as in plastic straws).

I’d really like to live a life of plastic fantastic, without worrying that my dolls will one day literally be the death of me.