One of Two (Weird) New Obsessions

From our friends @ IMDB.com:

Ken: I'm Ken.
Barbie: Barbie. Have we ever met?
Ken: Nuh-uh. I'd have remembered. Love your legwarmers.
Barbie: Nice ascot.

Last night KJ & I ran a bunch of errands in preparation for our upcoming trip and ended up at Toys R Us. Wow. I haven't been there in YEARS. Even though we have young neices and nephews and several great neices and nephews, I always buy them gift cards for their b-days and holidays to save on shipping and also, because I don't seen them enough to know what they have, what they're into, etc.

The DaVinci Inspired Barbie (Mona Lisa)

Palm Beach Coral Barbie

Van Gogh Inspired Barbie (Starry Night)

Farrah Fawcett Barbie

I think these two are Reem Acra-inspired Barbie's

Golden Anniversary Barbie

So, KJ & I walked down the Barbie aisle and holy cow I am now obsessed with collectible Barbie's. I used to buy them for the girls when they were younger and they became huge dust collectors. I think they're all in the attic. I always bought the Holiday Barbie at Christmas and T had the Animal Kingdom from Disney when the park first open. She had a Coca-Cola Barbie, an Oreo Barbie, both the Alabama and Penn State Barbies, and a bunch of other ones I can't remember (I seem to recall some Valentine's Day Barbies, some Easter ones, a Halloween one). But WOW. These new Barbies are magnificent. I luv, luv, luv the Statue of Liberty Barbie, the Starry Night Barbie and the Farrah Fawcett Barbie!

Statue of Liberty Barbie

What is it about Barbie that makes a grown woman swoon? Is it the clothes? Barbie's awesome lifestyle and her metrosexual boyfriend? The hair? The long legs and big boobs? Is Barbie what all of us aspire to be? I'm torn. I want to believe that Barbie empowers little girls to be whatever they want to be .... a vet, an astronaught, a flight attendant, a scuba diver, etc. On the other hand, a part of me feels like she just set me back 30 years.

Ken: [Giving Andy's toys a tour of the daycare, Ken passes his dollhouse] And this... well, this is where I live. It's got a disco, it's got a dune buggy, and a whole room just for trying on clothes.
Barbie: [gasps] You have everything!
Ken: Everything... except someone to share it with... [he walks away]
Barbie: [sighs lovingly]