When the first Barbie dolls came out in 1959, at the price of $2.99, Priscilla (Rosenberg) Druckrey was 11 years old, and she had her heart set on having one of her own. When Christmas came, the only gifts she received were clothes.
It was then that she made a promise to herself that when she was in the position to do so, she would get a Barbie of her own.
Druckrey, of Green Valley, never did have a Barbie as a child growing up in North Chase, and it was not until the mid-1970s that she purchased her first Barbie, found on a clearance rack at Toys R Us, for $19.95; original price, $39.95. It was called Radiant Rose, part of a series.
Druckrey said it was then that she began completing each series of Barbie dolls. She recently completed her favorite, the Holiday Series, which came out in 1988, including the 2015 edition. She set a goal in 1990 to complete the series, and 25 years later, reached that goal.
Each Barbie in her 300- t0 350-doll collection is kept in its original box in a smoke-free environment.
“They lose their value if taken from the box,” Druckrey said.
Druckrey will display a number of her Barbie dolls at the Gillett Area Historical Society’s Christmas Tea on Saturday at the society’s museum on West Main Street in Gillett. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and finger food will be served.
Guests at the tea are invited to dress up in vintage clothing or semiformal attire, although casual dress will be acceptable, also. Guests are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes so they easily navigate the steps of the museum while they tour the rooms.
If they’d like, people can bring their favorite Barbie.
Lorraine Gentz, of the Gillett Area Historical Society, said society members are always on the lookout for something special to present at the annual tea. When they heard of Druckrey’s dolls, they sought her out and requested she display them at the tea.
Gentz said she is concerned that girls don’t play with dolls anymore, and perhaps the Christmas tea will spark their interest.
Druckrey said the oddest place she found a doll was in a little, second-hand store in Las Vegas. It was a See’s Candy Salesperson Doll dressed like a candy factory worker — a unique doll.
“I’m never looking for a specific doll, but I’m always looking,” Druckrey said, admitting it’s almost like an obsession.
“Whenever we are on vacation we always stop at antique shops to see what can be found,” she said.
When visiting California, she found a Harley-Davidson doll, which led her to complete the series of Harley-Davidson dolls.
Druckrey’s most prized Barbie is Pink Splendor, a limited edition doll that came out in 1996, when only 5,000 were made. She has number 3,000. She believed she would never be able to afford the $925 price tag, until she stumbled upon one at an auction and was able to purchase it for a third of the price.
Other special pieces of her collection include a limited edition Millennium Bride Barbie and a breast cancer doll, limited edition of 10,000, which honors breast cancer survivors. She said the doll holds a special meaning for her because her sister and a good friend are breast cancer survivors.
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