Barbie dazzler

How a childhood accident sparked Bettina's passion for iconic figures

-  LYDIA VELJANOVSKI

Recovering from a broken leg at the age of 11, Bettina Dorfmann was given Barbie dolls by her family to keep her entertained.

The young German did not know it then but the gifts would start a life-long love affair with the toy and lead to her having the world's largest collection.

Bettina has 18,500 Barbies ranging from 60s models to current ones.

And she is not done yet.

The doll is back in the headlines with the release of Greta Gerwig's film Barbie next Friday, starring Margot Robbie.

But Barbie has never been out of Bettina's life. It took a year to recover from her broken leg due to complications and she says of her beloved doll: "I could choose outfits for her, or to play. In the time I had to stay at home my friends came over and we played together."

Now, the 62-year-old's modest house in Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, is overrun by the Mattel dolls, standing on their tiptoes on every surface. It feels as though they are watching me, as I meander upstairs trying my utmost not to knock anything, or anyone, over.

But it is her Barbie Kingdom, a room on the first floor, that is the real treasure trove. Thousands of her prized Barbies live here, where they are arranged according to release date and style.

Looking in the crammed cabinets is like gazing through a keyhole into decades of history. The tailored demure outfits of 50s Barbies, with matching hats and gloves, and perfect hairdos.

The 60s Barbies with flower power frocks, long hair and short hemlines. The 80s Barbies with big dresses and even bigger hair. Bettina got her first doll, a Midge, who was Barbie's best friend, at the age of five. She now has a few of these 1963 models.

The former office worker began seriously collecting when she was 34.

Her interest was renewed after unearthing her childhood collection of more than 30, hoping to give them to her daughter.