 A woman with over 1,000 Barbie dolls has spent thousands of pounds on her collection. Clare Rawling, 42, also has outfits, props and sets. The full-time carer says the collection 'will never end'. She said: 'I have a lot of friends who send me gifts, it's a huge part of the community. My collection will never end, and I got gifted three of the new Barbies. 'They've just released a new wave for the movie.' Clare, from Blackpool, said her love of Barbie started when she was a child and her obsession was so intense that her dad made a play space for her. She said: 'I remember being massively into Barbie from around age seven to 11, I loved them so much. 'I enjoyed the aesthetics, they were so pretty, and really loved all the accessories. I have lots of lovely Barbie memories. 'I would have kept playing with them but girls were being mean to me at school.' Clare's collection (Picture: Lee McLean/SWNS) Then Clare gave her mum permission to sell her original collection when she moved out, because she didn't want to take them all with her. She didn't pay much thought to her favourite childhood pastime until February 2021, when she other dolls on sale on eBay. Her husband Colin, 58, bought her an 'Oh Penny' doll found on eBay – which then got Clare thinking about her former collection. She said: 'I turned 40 and we couldn't go out because of the [pandemic] restrictions so I said, 'I know, I'm 40 but can I have everything Barbie?' 'I asked for everything to be pink and for a doll's house as my present.' Clare loved the film (Picture: Clare Rawling / SWNS) Clare then accumulated as many as 70 dolls in just five months, and now has around 1,000 in her possession. She said: 'I have never had a connection with anything like this before, you think it's just Barbie but it's a bit of a rabbit hole when you get into it. 'Everything you can get in real life, you can get in Barbie too. It's amazing.' Clare's first purchase was a vintage United Col){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A woman with over 1,000 Barbie dolls has spent thousands of pounds on her collection.
Clare Rawling, 42, also has outfits, props and sets.
The full-time carer says the collection ‘will never end’.
She said: ‘I have a lot of friends who send me gifts, it’s a huge part of the community. My collection will never end, and I got gifted three of the new Barbies.