“Ginny or Barbie?”

~ Elizabeth
Ginny doll 1956

When I was a little girl I had a small collection of Ginny Dolls such as the one shown above. My favorite, a Christmas present when I was 9 looked like the one above. My earlier ones had an assortment of clothing hand made by me with the help of my then next door neighbor Grace. The outfits were little scraps of cloth held together with a stitch or two, but I was proud of them. One year I received a bunk bed for two of the dolls, and little scraps became the bedding. Beyond those accessories everything else about Ginny was in my imagination. She was clearly a little girl like me, so she enjoyed the things I enjoyed.

Barbie Doll 1959

I was 12 when the first Barbie came on the market. I found her startling to say the least. Who was she supposed to be? Why would any little girl want to have her as a friend? Fortunately I was too old for dolls, and my little sisters were uninterested. One loved horses. The other only wanted to play cowboy. The first time I encountered the doll in person was when I had daughters and they had friends. Still none of them were particularly enamored of Barbie. Even my granddaughter was more interested in the American Girl Dolls than in Barbie.

Needless to say, though I have no interest in the movie Barbie, I am amazed that she was central in many girls’ lives. Movie theaters fill with viewers crazy about the film. (Oddly, Oppenheimer seems equally popular. Talk about cognitive dissonance!)

I would love to know what dolls, if any, either my readers or their siblings held dear. If they were Barbies, help me understand the attraction.

33 thoughts on ““Ginny or Barbie?””

  1. I had a Barbie, and mom and I made clothes for her. Back then, you didn’t buy a bunch of Barbies, just one, and they sold tons of outfits separately.
    I liked Barbie because I developed early and she had big boobs that didn’t seem to bother her at all! In a way, she made me feel less self-conscious about my developing body. I played with her well into my 13th year, mostly because there were no other girls on my back road and it was socially acceptable! In one’s tween years, we always look up to those teenagers and what they were doing and wearing.

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  2. As an only child, and a boy, my only experience with dolls was with my younger female cousins. (I had a lot of those) I always thought Barbie looked too old to be a companion for a small child. After all, she had her own car, a horse and stable, even a caravan. (Trailer). I also remember the competitor, Sindy, and the baby doll that cried, Tiny Tears. One that amused me was ‘Tressy’, a doll that had adjustable hair length so the child could style her hair.

    Best wishes, Pete.

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        1. Honestly, it’s not about toys; it’s a surprisingly deep social commentary on the harms caused by toxic masculinity and the patriarchy. I would cheerfully go see it again, because it was clever and subversive.

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  3. I never liked dolls as a child, although I was given a Tiny Tears. I think I had an un-treasured Barbie.

    Things were different when I had girls of my own. I sewed all their clothes until they were teenagers. Each had a rag doll I made, and I often sewed matching outfits for them. Those dolls were treasured for years. Before she threw hers away with my blessing, Lise took photos and has them safely stored away to this day.

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    1. My daughter had a Raggedy Ann that I made that she carried everywhere. I had to remake various limbs and pieces of clothing as they wore out. She especially loved rubbing the rickrack as she fell asleep.

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  5. I vaguely remember playing with Barbies with my friends, though I never had one. (I did get Midge for Christmas one year, Barbie’s best friend.) I don’t remember Ginny, but I remember Chatty Cathy and Tiny Tears. My favorite doll when I was younger was named Sister Belle, another talking Mattel doll. (I tried posting a picture of her but couldn’t figure out how to do it!)

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  7. I got the original Barbie doll for Christmas in 1959, and I was in love with her. I was nine years old. I took care of every tiny item, from shoes to pocketbooks, to her catalogues that came with purchases. The wedding dress was $5.00, far too expensive for my parent’s budget. I felt like I was taking care of a real person, not a baby doll. I had skiing outfits, beach outfits, a stewardess outfit, a picnic outfit…on and on. I was ‘living’ the real world of women, thinking about Barbie’s adventures and careers. Does that make sense? I outgrew baby dolls and embraced real dolls. I saved everything and gave my whole collection to my daughter-in-law, a huge Barbie fan. Best gifting I have ever done.

    Now, do I want to see the movie? No. My childhood Barbie memories are all I need.

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  8. Interesting Elizabeth, I had plenty of dolls but not a Barbie. I had Sindy instead the English version, much more wholesome! My daughter who is now 31 had a few Barbies though. I loved the film, there are many political messages in there. It’s worth watching just to see Ryan Gosling play Ken, hilarious.

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      1. My two year old granddaughter went straight to the Disney Princess book at the toy store without ever having heard or seen them . One of my grandson’s first phrases was “big truck.”

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  11. Hi Elizabeth, I have always loved dolls and have a collection of antique and vintage dolls. I loved Cindy because she had body parts that moved and lots of beautiful clothes. I made clothes for her too but mine were gowns I designed myself and stitched on my mother’s sewing machine.

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