Barbie has become 60 this year.
Love her or hate her, she still was and has been one of the most popular toys in the world easily beating Lego and Action Man.
I was crazy about them.
The advantage of growing up in the fifties and sixties was that my mum never gave women’s self image one thought and I was given my first Barbie at the age of about 6. I still have her. A bit sticky and minus quite a bit of her hair, thank you brothers, but still loved by me.
After her followed many more.
In the spirit of those times a husband had to be acquired, Ken, and a girl friend Midge.
Every time I did the dishes my mum gave me 10 cents and after many, many dishes I would have saved the 9.99 Antillian guilders to go to a funny little Toko which sold them amongst buckets, mops and other household stuff. Still remember the excitement of going to the shop in the hope that they had a new model.
I learned to sew by making them clothes. My little brother kindly one time made me a Barbie car from Lego so he could surreptitiously join my adventures with Barbie.
I have been buying them ever since and I don’t care what people think of it.
When I have little girls visiting , daughters or grand daughters from friends, it pleases me no end to see the look of wonder when I show them my collection and let them play with them to their heart’s content.
The first time a mum told me she thought that Barbie would be bad for the education of her child I was so surprised.
Anorexia was mentioned and the fact that Barbie had a perfect figure which gives girls the idea they have to look like that to be successful.
Did you ever see barbie’s figure?
The only thing Barbie’s figure is good for is to put clothes on it. She was always completely anatomically incorrect.
I can only speak for myself that I never gave Barbie’s looks too much thought. It was all about the gorgeous clothes and shoes. Maybe she did turn me into a bit of a shopaholic but as I always tell my husband shopping is cheaper than therapy and drugs.
The sales figures of Mattel show that Barbie is still very in vogue. With old and young.
I loved buying the granny Barbie, the only one who ever looked like me, and chubby Barbie and all the Barbies from as many countries as I could lay my hands on.
A shame I never had a daughter. Action man is just not the same.

Just a little note for posterity. Even though the Brits were supposed to leave the European Union on the 29th of March this year they still haven’t.
Any admiration I might ever have had for the GB nation has dissolved over the last month or so.
They are posturing now and might leave in a week, but I am not holding my breath.
Wonder what all those Eastern European countries are thinking who have fought so hard to get into the EU? OK that is enough about it.
Lately I have been doing so much more work on my writing that my reading has been lagging behind.
I have got a whole series of books waiting in the wings. Don Winslow, Joe Abercrombie, Josiah Bancroft, Edward Cox, James S.A.Corey, Chris Wooding Tade Thompson.
Just finished “The Silent patient ” from Alex Michaelides and it was great! I can’t say much about it not to spoil it it. Go and read it.

Also spent too much time fiddling with maps for my story. Such fun.
The dog walks have become longer as well with the warmer days and the outside jobs wait for no one.
Anyway everything is better than to be bored.