The film Barbie comes out this Wednesday, July 19 at the cinema. The largest collection of Barbies in France is in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) at the Toy Museum. A pride for this establishment created by a former Airbus employee and operating solely thanks to donations and volunteers.
In recent days, pink has invaded our advertising pages on the internet. A communication operation on the occasion of the release of the film “Barbie” this Wednesday, July 19. This iconic doll created 64 years ago is still in the headlines and remains visibly timeless.
The poster for the Barbie movie released on July 19. • © FTV
A film that comes at the right time for the Toy Museum in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne). Opened in 2016, it has the largest collection of Barbies in Europe. 130 of them have been on display since May in the museum’s windows thanks to the donation of a private individual.
Barbie crosses the generations
It’s a toy that most little girls have had. Our visitors are moved when they see these old Barbies, it reminds them of their childhood. With this film we see that Barbie has remained in fashion.
Gérard Misrai, founding president of the Toy Museum
This impressive collection of Barbies came from a donation. A hundred of these dolls were indeed given to the museum by Fabienne Marcinkowski, a resident of Monteils. This enthusiast even went so far as to make their dresses for them. These Barbies impress with their diversity.
“We are lucky to have in our collection the very first Barbie dating from 1959, it is valued at 25,000 euros. Mattel did not make a lot of it because it was completely missed, that is to say that her forehead was too broad and her eyes were bulging”, explains the founding president of the Toy Museum.
Barbies have followed the times and have also evolved a lot. Tall, strong, with red or platinum blond hair, some wear magnificent dresses, in lace or even signed by great designers.
“At the beginning Barbie had a little sad face, because Mattel represented them as they were in the post-war period”underlines Gérard Misrai, inexhaustible on their history. “There are 175 models, with dolls with white, black skin, or even with the features of a person with Down syndrome, the last doll created in March 2023”.
Other more classic dolls, with wax faces, are also visible in this Montauban museum which exhibits thousands of toys. Something to delight young and old alike.
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