Barbie: Meet the Croydon resident with more than 400 dolls

A sixth form college technician has spent four years building up a huge collection of Barbie dolls, which is now worth thousands of pounds.

Aaron Bevan spends his free time styling his collection and publishing editorial-style photographs of them on Instagram under @barbiefashionfun.

The 29-year-old has scoured charity shops, car boot sales and online forums to build up a collection of more than 400 dolls worth, he estimates, nearly £5,000.

Although he began seriously collecting a few years ago, Aaron has had Barbies since he was a child growing up in Ireland.

He said: “I had Barbies as a child, and I remember going to boot sales and buying second-hand dolls. I gave most of them away to my cousin, but I kept a box of vintage Barbies that just sat in the corner of my room for years.”

He added: “Now I can buy dolls that I either wasn’t allowed back then or we couldn’t afford. It’s so exciting to be able to have that feeling again when I get a new doll.

“For me, nostalgia is the thing that makes it. That’s why I like to take the dolls out of their packaging to hold them [...] I like to travel with them as well”.

One of his most-prized dolls is fashioned in his own image.

Just over 100 of the dolls in the collection are modern, but most are vintage.

“I found this bundle of dolls on Gumtree being sold for £100, and they were all vintage Barbies from the 60s and 70s still in their boxes... Once I had picked out the ones I wanted to keep, I put the others up online to sell and set it to the ‘worldwide’ option for posting,” he said.

“I had a look at it one day and said to my partner: ‘You’ll never guess what that doll has just sold for - £600.’ We just couldn’t believe it”.

Aaron said his interest and commitment to his collection grew during the pandemic, which was when he met other members of the “doll community” in the UK.

He said: “We would meet for picnics at the end of lockdown, and it was just a big comfort to meet up with other people who all loved the same things.”

Part of this group is collector Clare Rawling, based in Blackpool, who gained fame for making stop-motion films of her dolls during lockdown.

Aaron said: “People in the community tend to like to add accessories or clothing to the newer dolls they collect... I’ve got a wardrobe like a rainbow, so I really enjoy adding more colour to what some dolls are wearing”.

Having studied an MA in printed textiles in London, Aaron’s particular interest in doll clothing is not a great leap, and it is common amongst his peers.

He said: “My favourite collection is the 1991 Benetton x Barbie collection, full of acid-wash and funky patterns. It gets drawn into inspiration for my own designs.”