In the times of ‘Barbenheimer,’ these Philly and South Jersey collectors are strictly Team Barbie

On March 9, 1998, Ilana Volain, received a “Beyond Pink” Barbie, dressed in a bright pink guitarist outfit, for her sixth birthday. That’s when she learned that the doll was her birthday twin. Years later, the Mattel doll and Volain remain inseparable.

In Volain’s Roxborough home, you’ll find Barbie cuddling with pets or having a drink with friends inside dollhouses set up bythe doll collector, a first-grade teacher in Philly.

She has about 500 dolls, ranging from “Monster High” to “Project Mc²” as well as other customized dolls with bespoke outfits. But Barbie dominates the collection with about 350 dolls purchased online and thrifted. Some sit in their designated houses, and others stand on IKEA shelves in Volain’s office. Her “mini-me” doll accompanies her on outings, which Volain documents on Instagram.

Across the bridge, in South Jersey, Diana Fanelli-Brennan displays close to 500 Barbies in the collectibles room in the basement of the home she shares with her husband.

The digital designer has about 300 boxed ones. Her collection boasts a Harley-Davidson Barbie, signed Hallmark Barbies, about 50 originals, Barbie clothes from the ‘60s, and more.

“I have a ‘Ponytail’ Barbie, bubblehead Barbie, Ken, Allan (Ken’s best friend), Skipper (Barbie’s younger sister), Skipper’s friends. And then I have a secondary collection of ‘Twist ‘n Turns’ (Barbies that could twist and turn),” Fanelli-Brennan said.

For the two collectors, Barbie became a sort of role model with her wide range of careers, and later, diverse avatars. For Volain and Fanelli-Brennan, the doll was a representation of the endless possibilities a woman could aim for.

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“I think people grew up with this mentality that Barbie is a negative image for girls,” Volain said. “I never got that — I got the opposite. I was like, ‘Look at all the cool things she can do.’ And she was, I think, always intended from the beginning to be an independent woman.”

As big Barbie fans, Volain and Fanelli-Brennan are eager to see the much-anticipated live-action Barbie movie, which releases Friday, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

“I’m excited for the campy, fun side [of Barbie], playing into the whole ‘this is what everyone thinks Barbie is but making it multifaceted and dimensional,’” said Volain. She plans to watch the film wearing an outfit inspired by 2021 Barbie Extra #3, complete with a little stuffed “flying” pig.

Fanelli-Brennan will watch the movie with her daughters, and hopes to catch Barbie in a black-sequined strapless mermaid-like gown, representing one of her favorites, the “Solo in the Spotlight” Barbie. Mom and daughters plan to wear Barbie T-shirts / sweatshirts to the movie.

“I might bring one of my original [Barbies] with me,” she added.

Volain’s love for Barbie started young, but she didn’t start collecting until she was given the 2002 Barbie Rapunzel. Holding the Barbie dressed in a sparkly purple dress with golden flower sparkles, she thought, “What a beautiful doll.” At that moment, she decided any money she earned she would save for the Mattel doll, becoming “an avid teenage Barbie collector/doll player.”

For her, it was never about “baby dolls or playing house or that type of thing — it was always Barbie fashion princesses.”

Volain collected about 50 Barbies from fifth grade through high school. When she went to college, she no longer had the time or money to focus on the dolls.

It wasn’t until the pandemic that Volain reunited with her birthday twin.

“I had time to slow down, think, and be bored,” she said. “[I began to wonder about] what I used to do for fun when I was a shy, introverted kid. And I was like, ‘Oh, I had all my Barbies’ and ‘Oh my gosh, I miss them.’”

Volain began buying Barbies off Instagram and Facebook groups. She found eBay and Mercari helpful too.

Fanelli-Brennan’s collection started with the redheaded “Bubble Cut” Barbie, known for her distinctive side-part hairstyle. It was a gift from her mother for her third birthdayr. Toy shows like the Allentown Antique Toy Show and former Atlantique City are where she found a lot of her Barbies.

But it wasn’t until the South Jersey designer met her husband, who collected toy trains, that her collecting became serious. The couple would buy and sell at toy shows, creating a sort of side hustle. As a former toy designer who once worked for Mattel, Fanelli-Brennan traveled to national and international toy fairs where she found Barbies to add to her collection.

“It got out of control a little bit, but it was just something I thought was a lot of fun,” she said.

The cost varies for Barbie dolls depending on demand and rarity. During the pandemic, Volain noticed doll prices skyrocketed with more people beginning to collect dolls.

Volain finds Barbies for as low as $1 at flea markets and thrift stores. Sometimes they go up to $20 for holiday dolls, and there are rarer ones that are much more expensive. Fanelli-Brennan’s Barbies cost up to several thousand dollars.

With Barbie, Volain wonders how pricing will be affected, if there will be a surge in Barbie-core fashion/aesthetic, and if it’s going to inspire more collectors. Fanelli-Brennan sees it helping the brand thrive as movies tend to do for toy businesses.

“I still think it’s a good product and I think everyone should have the opportunity to play with it like I did,” Fanelli-Brennan added.

Ultimately the two collectors hope the movie spreads the Barbie doll love while “acknowledging the whole Barbie, pink, blond thing and breaking the barrier and being like, ‘Barbie is not just that’ — she’s inclusive and [about] representing everybody,” Volain said.