Conroe Courier October 20, 2023

Many moviegoers were thinking pink this summer as the “Barbie” film became the hit of the season. 

With the film now streaming, Suann Hereford, executive director of the Heritage Museum of Montgomery County, has on display dolls from her 200-plus Barbie collection to share with museum visitors as a tribute to the iconic American toy.

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Here is what to know about the Barbie exhibit at the heritage museum, plus the two other fall exhibits at the museum:

About Barbie 

Hereford said all the dolls before Barbie was launched in 1959 were baby dolls and Barbie became the first doll with adult features. She was created by businesswoman Ruth Handler of the Mattel toy company. 

Barbie was named for her daughter, Barbara, and Ken was named for her son, Kenneth. Barbie has gone on to become an icon of American culture. She’s had more than 250 careers and this summer came to the big screen in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken. 

A Barbie girl early 

Hereford was born in 1961 when Barbie was still the new girl on the block. Her mom, Sue, gave Hereford her first Barbie. 

“I had lots of Barbie, Francies, Skippers and Ken dolls,” she said. She recalled when she was a girl, Moore’s variety store on the Conroe square had a program where girls could trade in their used Barbie dolls for new ones. 

“They were all well played with and well loved,” she said. “They came in swimsuits then so you would have to buy the clothing separately.” 

She’d take her traveling Barbie closet to other girls’ houses for playdates. 

It wasn’t until she was in her 30s until she started purchasing Barbies as a collector. 

Her collection 

The first collectible Barbie she received was a Marilyn Monroe Barbie in a red dress from the “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” movie. Through special Mattel releases, online sites, memberships and receiving Barbies as gifts, her collection grew. 

She has Barbies from various series, like Barbies careers and the “Inspiring Women” series. 

Her most unique Barbie she said is the Tippi Hedren Barbie where the packaging is signed by the actress. She’s also fond of the “Gone with the Wind” series that has Barbie in the iconic green curtain dress from the film, the doll with the face of Vivien Leigh who played Scarlett O’Hara and the spoof done by Carol Burnett where she wears a curtain rod. 

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When she first came to the museum in 2021, she put some of the dolls on display in the gallery room. Now, she’s brought back 20 unique dolls from the collection that are on display this fall. 

Dolls on display 

With the exception of Ken and the Elvis doll, the Barbies on display currently are leading ladies from the stage and screen or pop culture icons. 

Just a few among those featured are Cher, Tina Turner, Gloria Estefan, Celia Cruz, the Elton John Barbie and the David Bowie Barbie. She said one of the unique dolls on display is the Farrah Fawcett doll with that is sculpted to recreate her famous 1976 swimsuit poster pose. 

The Barbies will be on display through the holidays and will end when the museum closes for the Christmas break just before Christmas until after the new year. 

Also on display 

There are two other temporary displays in the gallery. 

One exhibit showcases the 50-year career of local filmmaker Gary Parker and has cameras, awards and memorabilia. The other display celebrates veterans and features uniforms dating back to World War II, helmets from World War I, photos, documents and registration cards and other military artifacts. 

These displays will be up through late December as well. 

For more on the Heritage Museum, visit its website.Â