Lots of Barbie's were available and were sold quickly

Aviation Museum of SP: Barbie and Friends draw hundreds to huge doll sale!

May 02, 2001
Santa Paula News
By Peggy Kelly Santa Paula TimesProbably for the first - and last - time ever, nudes were lined up inside the First United Methodist Church's Wesley Hall - and Elvis was in the building. . .but it wasn't Las Vegas, although the crush of buyers were gambling for a collectible jackpot.The show and sale of “Barbie & Friends” had collectors lined up outside the church hall before it opened Friday for its two-day run, an event that saw thousands of items fly off the tables to raise funds for the Aviation Museum of Santa Paula.Barbies were everywhere, dressed, undressed, posing proudly whole, lurking in loose pieces, Barbie heads - with startling unblinking eyes - staring earnestly out of plastic bags, Barbie clothes, Barbie accessories, Barbie magazines, Barbie playhouses, Barbie cars, Barbie friends, Barbie's toyboys Ken, Barbie tennis shoes, Barbie buttons. . .it looked like the whole world was Barbie, and for awhile it was as eager shoppers snapped up the collectible dolls that transformed the doll world when Barbie was introduced in 1960.But all Barbie all the time was broken up with other dolls, all part of the collection of the late Jackie Koontz, although the most bodacious babe in toydom - Barbie - was the main attraction.Teddy bears, stuffed animals, Kupie dolls, Shirley Temple, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, the Partridge Family, collector cat plates, even Cabbage Patch kids - obviously the work of the most demented doll designers - were all on sale, and there was no lack of buyers.
“Isn't she sweet?” asked Dottie Armbruster as she showed off a beautiful child doll. Armbruster said she believed her purchase was of era as the famous Patsy Doll, “but it's not a Patsy. . .but sweet.”A mini-Teddy was far from sweet, but so ugly it was almost cute: a buyer, afraid the Teddy might not find a home, doled out the $1.50 for her new friend, which she said she is giving to her adult daughter. “I know Jennifer will love this,” said the unidentified buyer.Jerry Schmidt was helping out at the event, his first doll sale. Would he repeat the duty? “Never in this world. . .” he noted dryly.Janice Dickenson of the aviation museum was delighted with the turnout - estimated at over 1,000 people - as well as the sales and help from the Tickled Pink Barbie Club of Ventura County. “They were just wonderful, wonderful,” in pricing the Barbies and staffing the sale event. About 95 percent of the items were sold: leftovers were donated to the club, Dickenson noted, as well as to Saturday's GAG Colossal Rummage Sale.And if anyone is wondering, within minutes after the sale started on Friday, an eager collector had snapped up their choice. . .and indeed, Elvis had left the building.



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