41-year-old Stanley Colorite, who calls himself “the Barbie Man” has been collecting Barbie dolls for the last two decades, and has turned his home into a virtual museum to the popular Mattel toy.
A house-cleaning business owner from Florida, Stanley Colorite bought his first Barbie doll in 1997. Now he has over 2,000 of them, as well countless outfits and accessories. He admits it’s become somewhat of an obsession, but says he simply can’t stop collecting. If sees a doll he doesn’t yet have, or anything with the Barbie name on it, he just has to buy it. Every month, he adds about 20 new dolls to his impressive collection, as well ass numerous other related items he finds at toy shops, jumble sales and eBay. As you can imagine, it’s a pretty expensive shopping habit, one that’s setting Stanley back about $30,000 a year. It’s a lot of money, but the Barbie Man isn’t considering stopping anytime soon. Even though four of his rooms are already lined with Barbie stuff, he says he plans to go on collecting until all the seven rooms of his Florida home are full. He even considers gluing them to the ceiling or making chandeliers out of the dolls, just to make some extra room.
Photo: Stanley Colorite/Facebook
Dennis Schlicker, Colorite’s partner, remembers that when they met 13 years ago, Stanley only had 150 Barbie dolls. They were set neatly in their original boxes, lining the walls of his house. They certainly made an impression on Schlicker who has since then been helping Colorite with his collection, and even started his own, focusing on the Ken doll. He now has over 1,000 Ken dolls, including every version ever made in America. The couple visit Barbie conventions together, enjoy making custom jewelry for their dolls, and curling Barbie’s hair in their spare time.
Photo: Stanley Colorite/Facebook
Among his most expensive items are a Barbie doll he bought for $975, and a dream house priced at $1,000. Stanley Colorite estimates his dolls alone are worth around $80,000. He doesn’t plan on selling them though, as he loves having his own Barbie museum, and seeing people’s jaws drop to the floor when they walk in.
Photo: Stanley Colorite/Facebook
The Barbie Man’s collection is certainly impressive, but it’s actually not the largest in the world. Bettina Dorfmann, from Dusseldorf, Germany, holds the Guinness World record for most Barbie dolls, owning a staggering 15,000 of them.
Photo: Stanley Colorite/Facebook
via Huffington Post
