Real Life in 1/6 Scale, Dioramas and Viral Barbie Photos

This transcript was generated from the episode captions and lightly edited for readability. Names and product terms may occasionally be imperfect. Quoted dollar amounts retain the wording of the interview; the currency is not always specified.

0:00Hello, dolls and accessories. I'm your host, Kelly, and this is Barbie Talk. Barbie Talk with Kelly in Pink. Today's guest is a legend in the doll community. She's introduced Barbie to millions of people in a way they've never seen before. Through her hilarious, heartwarming, and incredibly relatable miniature world, she's shown us that Barbie isn't just about glamour, she's about real life. From her viral quarantine Barbies to her everyday family scenes, today's guest has truly inspired people around the world to smile, laugh, and maybe even see a bit of themselves in Barbie for the first time. Please welcome Tonya, also known as Grandma Gets Real. Hi, Tonya. Welcome to Barbie Talk. Thank you, and welcome to my home and my Barbie attic.

0:52Your Barbie attic? I love that. It's looking great. You've got lots of amazing dolls back there. I can't wait to start chatting. I am so honored to have you on the show. You're an absolute legend in the doll community. So, I always start my show with asking everybody to tell us a little bit about themselves, even though I'm sure lots of people know who you are already, but tell us a little bit about who Tonya is, where she's from, and how your relationship with Barbie started. Well, Tonya Reese, Grandma Gets Real. I am from Southern California. [gasps] I had Barbies as a child, got away from it for a number of years, and I've been 8 years now on Dollstagram recreating my life in miniature. So, that's pretty much my Barbie story. We've come full circle.

1:38Definitely, definitely. And so, do you remember what your first Barbie was? I do remember, and I don't have her, but I have a reproduction of her. This is, I believe, '67 that this came out, and I had this when I was a little girl. I love this face. I think that's why I'm drawn to this face is because it is the face of my childhood. Yeah. So, this was actually the first doll that I remember having. Now, I had an older sister, so there's a chance I was around a lot of dolls before this one, but this is the one in my memory that sticks. And I have a photo of me as a little kid holding her. That's awesome. And I mean, a lot of people don't have their original doll from when they were a kid, but they go and buy the repros. And you know what? The repros are really well done. You and Barbie actually have quite a bit in common. But you guys actually were both teenage fashion models. Can you tell us a little bit about that experience?

2:32Well, back in the '70s, fashion models were all the rage. Now, a lot of celebrities are the ones on magazines cover, but back in the '70s and the '80s, it was fashion models, it was supermodels, it was Cheryl Tiegs and Christie Brinkley, and there was a whole different group of people on magazine covers and in the advertisements. And growing up, I had a Barbie, and do you remember Have you seen the Barbie where you pull the string on the back of her neck and she says, "I love being a fashion model"? So, I grew up wanting to be a fashion model. Not just Barbie, but fashion magazines and and all the other things in my life. So, I grew up wanting to be a Barbie, and I hoped that someday I would grow up and be Barbiefied, you know? And you did. And I will say, I did come across some of your modeling photos online, and wow, grandma, beautiful. Beautiful shots. You did some stuff for Christian Dior, very impressive.

3:23Yeah, it was a definitely I was Barbiefied. You know, we all are uh reach our peak about 16, 17. So. So, I look at those pictures and it's been a long time, but uh it was a good and bad experience. Let's say that. Yeah, I'm sure. Obviously, the modeling world has its dark side, too, right? So. Oh, definitely. Yeah. Do you have the Christian Dior doll? I'm only wondering cuz I know you modeled for them, so I just thought maybe you'd have it. Which is the Christian Dior doll? Tell me. I can Do you have it? don't. I wish I had it. That's her. I don't think I have her. Well, we got to find her. Oh, wait a second. Maybe I just got her at a swap meet. I'm in a luck. Okay. [laughter] Look. Look because I thought about that. I'm like, she's got to have the Christian Dior doll. I don't know. I don't know if I do. I might. You know, I get a lot of dolls at swap meets. And so, I've got We're going to talk about that because I love your swap meets. When I see that you're like, I'm like, "Oh my goodness." And then my phone's like this. I just absolutely love when you go to them. So, we will talk about your swap meets a little later. Barbie actually played a role in your work as a body image speaker. I actually heard you say that you were anti-Barbie. Can you explain why you were anti-Barbie and how that's changed? Okay. So, growing up, like I said, in the '70s, you know, lookism, things have changed so much now. So, if you're younger, things have changed so much now with the models, with the industry, with,

4:44you know, everything. But when I was growing up, there was a look. It was mostly blonde-haired, blue-eyed, a specific look, had to be very thin. I mean, there was just There was no variation. There was no diversity. There was one, you know, the Cheryl Tiegs or the Christie Brinkley or, you know, there was very few models that weren't exactly like that. So, I grew up where that was the standard, a certain look, a certain weight, a certain weight. And let me find her. Um Miss America, which I really want a newer one. That she's She needs a little restoration. But Miss America was something that we all viewed. It was a big deal, the Miss America show. And so, I just grew up for lots of reasons, lookism, all kinds of stuff, feeling like, [snorts] you know, I had to attain a certain weight, a certain look, and all that. And my mother loved style, she loved fashion, she loved Barbie. She sewed a lot of clothes for Barbie, and she dressed me like a Barbie. So, I grew up with a different experience than maybe some other girls where Barbie was just a play thing or a friend. I really aspired to look like Barbie and to be Barbie. And so, then I became a teenage fashion model and saw the best that the fashion world had to offer and I also saw its worst. And when I walked away from the fashion industry, I hated anything to do with fashion and

6:07style and hair and makeup and dieting and I mean just the whole the whole thing. So, it wasn't just Barbie. It was Barbie, it was fashion magazines, it was Madison Avenue, it was what we were being fed that you had to look like and be like during that era of time. And so, [snorts] that's how I became anti-Barbie is because I used Barbie to say, you don't have to look like this. Real women do not look like Barbie and yet the eating disorders that I experienced and other girls did, the low self-esteem, just all the problems that girls were trying to look a certain way and I felt like Barbie. And you watch the documentaries and I'm not the only one that had this experience. I know it wasn't everybody's experience, but Barbie did represent a certain look.

6:57So, that was why I was at the time anti-Barbie. Yeah, and I think I've spoken to a lot of people in the doll community who even growing up their moms were like, no, they didn't want them playing with Barbie because that wasn't an accurate representation of what a woman looks like. I mean, it's very difficult to look like that. And I think I heard you say in an interview, I think you said that you weighed like 120 lb and you were told that that was too big. Yeah. Um, when I started modeling, I was 108, teenager, you know, 15 years old when I signed my first modeling contract. And when I got to be 120 lb, I was told you're fat, you need to lose weight. But I mean, that's the industry. It's you're a coat hanger, you're showing off the clothes. And like I said, there was such a specific look then that everybody had to aspire to. And being in the industry even more so, you had to look like that. So, I think I mean there was just so much more to it than just a toy. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. So, I got to ask cuz it's really catchy.

7:52How did you come up with Grandma Gets Real? Well, I did not come up with Grandma Gets Real to start with. When I started it because I was using a Grandma Barbie, I named it Baby Boomer Barbie. And I started it with two of my granddaughters and they kept saying, "What's a Baby Boomer again?" Oh my gosh. So, then we said, "Okay, we'll do Barbie Gets Real cuz my Barbie was getting real. She was doing dishes. She was taking out trash. She was doing regular stuff." So, we said, "Okay, we'll just do Barbie Gets Real." Well, when my account started growing and I went viral in 2020 and a lot of things went on, a person that's a big influencer, which was so nice of them to take the time to reach out to me, they said, "You've got to change your name. You cannot use Barbie in your name because it's copyright trademark. You're going on all these shows. You're doing all all this stuff. You need to make your name your own. You need to find something that leaves Barbie out of it." So, I was like, "How what did I And I go, "Well, I am a grandma, so I am getting real.

8:52And I am trying to be real and authentic. So, that's why we changed to Grandma Gets Real and it was during 2020 just because someone reached out and said, "You can't trademark Barbie. It's already been done." You know what? That makes a lot of sense. And you know what? Grandma Gets Real, it works really, really well. Speaking of your Grandma Barbie, she's your mini. She plays a huge role in your content. Do you have her there with you so we can see what she looks like today? I do have Grandma with me. Let me matter of fact, I've got the whole family. [gasps] Yes. So, we have my whole family redone in Barbies. Of course, this is Grandma with a couple of my grandchildren. This is Grandpa. And then these are I have four kids and they're married, so there's four spouses. And then I have 14 grandkids. 14 grandkids? Yes, the little one was just born last summer, and she's getting ready to have her first birthday. So, this is to represent little baby Ellie. So, looks a little bit like her. So, yes, this is Grandma Barb with the whole whole family out for you to see. I love it. Hello, Grandma's family, the real family. This is the real family.

10:01This is the 1/6 scale miniature world. So, I love it. I love that you incorporate your family, like the real life stuff, and you include them in your content. I absolutely love it. It's very relatable, and it gives people a little bit of a sneak peek into, you know, who Tonya is, who Grandma is, and who's in her life that's really important to her, and I love that. And what's been interesting is, and I agree with them, a lot of my children don't have their kids on social media at all. A lot of them aren't allowed to have phones. A lot of them aren't even allowed to have their photo posted on social media. So, this is nice for me because they can have their privacy. Yet, I can still talk about them, and I have them be part of Grandma's world without actually showing photos, you know. That's a great way of thinking about it, cuz it's true. I mean, we don't want to show our kids. Some people don't want They don't feel comfortable, and this is just a great way for you to still say, like, these people are in my life, and they're important, but still giving them their privacy. So, that's awesome. You mentioned 2020 and quarantine and the pandemic and how you kind of really blew up. You went viral because of your quarantine Barbies. That became a worldwide sensation to the point that you were featured on a few shows, Kelly Clarkson, and we'll talk about that in a minute, but do you still happen to have any of those quarantine Barbies handy, and can we see them? So, when I made the quarantine Barbies, I was just trying to make dolls to represent what I was doing during quarantine, the binge watching, the eating snacks, the starting new hobbies, the Zoom, learning to do Zoom. So, I made dolls to

11:22represent me, and I didn't keep them. I made them up, and then I'd make another one up, and I'd make another one up, and I had no idea that it would go viral. And as a matter of fact, I had an old phone didn't have that much space didn't keep a lot of original photos and so when people magazine called and said could we feature your Insomnia Barbie [laughter] I was like oh my gosh I'm going through my old phone you know trying to find pictures so this was the doll that ended up in People magazine and she was Insomnia Barbie and she was just having a tough time sleeping and I did too I binge watched I think Family Affair and all kinds of old TV shows so I have a few of the dolls but I didn't keep them in the boxes with all the accessories and stuff cuz I had no idea anybody would ever care That I guess you had no idea it was going to blow up you even had the oh I forgot the name on the box but she had like the hairy legs and she had like snacks and she was doing like self-care at home oh it was hilarious That was the fun but the neat thing about it is it did go global and two museums put my dolls in their museum it was in art magazines I was everywhere but it was so neat to see them consider Barbie as art which was a thrill for me to see it wasn't just oh some crazy old doll lady but they considered Barbie as art so that was a wonderful Yeah but you know

12:43what Tanya that is art that's something you put together you created right it is it definitely is art at what point though did you realize like wow like this is really big this is beyond the doll community I guess when you started getting people reaching out to you or Well people reached well first I noticed everybody was stealing my photos and I'm like that's not nice everybody's stealing my photos and posting them everywhere and I'm like that's not very nice they shouldn't do that but what happened is so many people shared them and I thought oh gosh is this viral and then I looked up what is viral and it said well if you get 40,000 shares of something you know it's gone viral cuz it's the shares it's how many people want to show somebody else and when it started going 10 20,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 I'm like okay I think my I can say it's going viral."

13:33That's awesome. Yeah, I know. I have a bit of an issue sometimes when people like steal your stuff, but it's about giving credit. As long as you credit the person cuz you know what? We're all inspired, we're all influenced. I see your stuff and I'm like, "I want to do that." Or I want to show people how easy it is to make DIYs at home and do your own things and right? So, it's just about crediting the person. And I just thought, yeah, they didn't credit me. And I'm by people and I have repeated lots of things that I was inspired by. I mean, I we want to inspire each other and encourage each other. So, I was just a little disappointed that some of these big famous people and websites were like, I'm like, but then I think that's what really set it off, you know? So, and then when People magazine, I go, "Okay, now maybe I can say, 'Okay, it really did go viral.'" [laughter] And it was a good experience connecting people. Yeah, definitely. And you do a really great job amazing job of connecting people. Any of your grandkids are into your hobby or into Barbie?

14:28You know, most of them are okay. We've got four little ones and then the rest are teenage-ish, 10 to 20-something. And so, two of the teenage girls love Barbies, love dressing them, love styling them, the whole thing. One of the other ones loved the tiny cooking and all that. So, everybody's into something different, but I only have two that really really love Barbie. That love the style of the hair, that. But hey, I'll take it. [laughter] I'll take it. Absolutely. I tried to get my niece and she just like by the age of nine or 10, she was like, "Nope, I'm on to something else." She was I tell it was like pulling teeth, but I'm that's really nice and really sweet that you can share your hobby with Well, and they're 17 and 20 and one is an artist and the other is a she's gone through cosmetology school and has, you know, all that. So, she loves the hair, the style, all that. And the other is just so amazingly artistic. So, they're the ones that really still love it and come like I said, they set up my Barbie, you know, they worked on my attic for me.

15:26That's awesome. That's so sweet. So, when you were talking about the going viral and how it kind of blew up and you People magazine reached out to you, I mean, obviously, you grew way beyond the doll community. I've had a lot of guests on my show who were like, "Are you going to have Grandma Gets Real on?" or "I've learned this from Grandma Gets Real." or "I, you know, started doing my Twinning Tuesdays because that's something that you are the host of and the inventor of." Do you want to tell us a little bit about Twinning Tuesday and kind of how that came to be? And if you have any dolls there that are Twinning related, like are wearing anything that Yeah, I I I should have. I Why is Grandma Barbie not in a denim shirt? I don't know. I should have thought that through. The Twinning Tuesday started My daughter came over and said, "Oh, you're wearing the same color shirt as your Barbie. I should take a photo." So, we went out back and took a photo and then I posted it and got such a good response to me twinning with Barbie and then other people started posting Twinning picture At that time, nobody was showing their face. Very few people were showing their face on Dollstagram. So, it was very brave. I mean, I'm used to showing my face, but a lot of people started like getting out of their comfort zone and being brave and doing Twinning photos, also. So, I said, "We should make it day where we can all post our Twinning photos."

16:36and that's how Twinning is Winning with Grandma started was just posting photos on Tuesday. And I think it helped us get to know each other because you saw someone's face. There is a person behind that account and behind that doll. And for me, I love seeing that. I do think it was good for the community to be able to see each other and I have been watching all of your interviews and I love seeing the behind the scenes and the doll people that I know, that maybe I've seen their face, but I haven't been in their rooms and I haven't seen their collection and I'm really enjoying seeing the people that you're showing at Most of them I know, but not all of them and so, that's been wonderful for me. Yeah, I enjoy that, too. I enjoy people getting to know fellow Instagram friends and just seeing how people how they collect. Maybe there's something they can relate to. Maybe there's a memorable story or a funny story or a doll that they have they're like, "Oh, I had that as a child and I really want to acquire that again." Or how are people displaying their dolls? Some people live in small spaces and this is what I just love about the community.

17:34But aside from the social media world, like you mentioned, you were featured in several articles, People magazine, but you were also on the Jennifer Hudson Show, the Kelly Clarkson Show, and Junker stored on HGTV. So tell us a little bit about how all of that came to be. Well, the Kelly Clarkson Show was for the quarantine doll. She had seen the dolls. She was obsessed with them, she said, and so they had me on the show and showed some of my quarantine dolls. And that was really fun. Kelly Clarkson, I mean, she's amazing, right? So that was really cool to be featured. And I was able to share about Dollstagram and the doll community and what we were doing online and that people are taking pictures of Barbies and stuff like that. So for me, I felt like I was representing Dollstagram to go on the Kelly Clarkson Show and talk about what we're doing on Instagram. So that was fun. Jennifer Hudson Show, my daughter wrote in and told about my cancer journey and how I was a survivor and so they had a segment on finding joy during hard things and I was able to get on and share about what I had learned from my cancer journey. HGTV, now that's a story. [snorts] My daughter saw they were casting a show in the LA area for [snorts] HGTV and it was about people that were like collectors. They never used the word hoarders, they were very nice. That their collection had gotten out of hand and they

19:00needed a little help and they were going to have a designer and so my husband said, "No, we are not doing a reality TV show. We are not having cameras in the house." Oh my gosh, he was horrified. Uh my daughter said, "You have to do this because you need help. And others who's going to help you? They're going to bring professionals in to help you. The rest of my family said they're going to make you look crazy. [laughter] Oh my goodness. Do you really want to be on a reality show where they go in your home and they show your mess and they make you look crazy? And so it worked out. My husband gave in. I just said you don't have to be in it. You don't have to be on TV. I get it. That is not his comfort zone. You don't have to be in it. Ashley, my daughter was on it with me. It was her and I. And so they came into my home. Bobby Berk, what a sweetheart, came into my home. They took my storage room and turned it into a studio. And after it ran, my son that had said they're going to make you look crazy, he called and he said they didn't make you look crazy. [laughter] I was going to say I don't think you looked crazy, but I'm also a doll collector. Right? So I don't think they did. I don't think so. But you know, some of those reality shows, they do make the people look a little And they said no, no, this isn't like you're not going to get punked. This is heartwarming family entertainment. We really do want to help you. And so that was how I got on HGTV. You don't just have Barbies. You've got all the little things. It's all the miniatures. It's

20:22the dioramas. Like there's just so much more than just the dolls. So if no one has seen Grandma Gets Real on Junk or Jackpot, go check it out on HGTV. And I think it's on your website as well. So they can check it out there. That was fun. That seemed like a lot of fun. I was like, "Ooh, I think [snorts] I might I might uh I might try to call in and say, 'Hey, I need some help.'" Well, and that's what I said. I said, "Are you sure you don't want to do my Barbie attic, too?" You know, but they did the one. I said, "Do part two and come back." But I've been working on it myself. That'd be nice if you can do a part two, but you're working on it and it's looking beautiful. You've got your granddaughters to help you, so it's awesome. You have recreated your life in 1/6 scale, and your miniature world is honestly the best I've seen. Can we see some of your dioramas? Or can you walk us through your process on how you create it from the initial idea to the final finished Instagram photo. Sure, let me turn the camera around and show you.

21:13All right, this is my diorama that Tier made for me. Uh it's a custom diorama. It is an exact duplicate of my downstairs kitchen. So, I use this a lot for my photos and it's so nice cuz it's customized down to the little bar stools. That's awesome. So, I love having it and putting things in here that I have in real life. I just got some new groceries, which are the miniature the real brands and I love that and finding you know, miniature groceries. I mean, look at this charcuterie. Oh my goodness. So, I love finding I love finding stuff like that. So, and dog bones, [laughter] milk bones. Those are cute. I'm assuming you have a dog then?

21:58I have lots of kids with dogs. My husband's allergic. [laughter] But it's okay. This is what I do is try to find realistic props, you know, and put them in here in my mini kitchen. So, yeah, the dioramas I have 14 different dioramas. This is the only one I brought into the attic. But I have 14 different dioramas, a nursery, uh you know, all kinds of them. So, and like this is a magnet. Yeah, so that's what I do is try to make it realistic and then put the dolls in there. So, this is a lot of fun and like I said, this is custom-made, but it's a lot of fun making your own dioramas, too. And this is custom-made by Tier's Tiny Kitchen Habit, correct? Yep. Yep, absolutely. She does a great job. So, that is the diorama. Love that. And so, how long does it take? I know this was custom, but if you're building a diorama yourself, Tanya, from home and you've got this idea, how long does it take for you to create that and put it on Instagram?

22:53When I decide to make a diorama like the '70s diorama for instance, I first start looking at wallpaper, start looking at all the little pieces, putting them together, and then I just get the foam core board from the craft store and just start putting it together and making it work. So, it just depends. I come up with an idea and then it takes me a while sometimes. Your attention to detail is incredible. I know you've shown us some minis there in your kitchen. Is there any other minis that you have there that you're either proud of finding or making that you can show us? I do. One of my favorite things is finding miniatures and really I love finding miniatures. So, this is the little bag that Grandma carries everywhere, her Grandma Barbie, and it is full of little miniature Barbies. So, Grandma Barbie has Barbies. Of course she does.

23:48She has Barbies having Barbies. So, I'm always looking for miniatures. This miniature came with and I don't know if you can see it. This miniature came with the anniversary, I think the 45th anniversary Barbie. It did. is a little Barbie miniature. Couple of things people have made that are just paper, but they look like miniature dolls. Oh my god, that's so sweet. So, I thought that was a fun miniature and then even the Heart Family. I'm sorry, where did you find that? These are paper. I found this on Etsy where I could order it. Cute. Yeah, that's Oh. So, that's what I've got is Barbie miniatures. I don't know if you know Jim. He's in my Barbie club. I may have to take it out. He's made a couple of miniatures from the Barbie movie. Let me see if I can get it out of these silly cases. So, I am not a crafter. A lot of people say, "Oh, do you make your own stuff?" I am not a crafter. I'm a good collector. [laughter] And I love collecting miniatures and stuff. I have no crafting ability whatsoever, but I love it that people do.

24:50But you're a good finder. I'm a good I'm a excellent finder. You are. So, I love finding miniature Barbies and Hallmark Christmas ornaments. [gasps] I love Hallmark Christmas. Because you can find miniatures that are Barbie. They're always coming out with something. And it's so fun to find. So, that's my big thing is finding I love finding Barbie miniatures because that is so amusing to me that Barbie has Barbies. [laughter] And finding In the case, I've never seen this ornament. Okay, so this is the Hallmark ornament. It is a case and then [gasps] they all have They do not have a little Barbie. Yeah. Oh my god, in the Silken Flame outfit. Yeah. So, this is a Hallmark ornament. Oh, I love it. So, this is Yeah. And then these were just last Christmas, I think, and they were the Superstar Barbie in miniature. Yeah. These I've seen, these I have. Like, look at how adorable they are. And the scale is perfect. You know what else? I'm going to give you a little tip. It wasn't my idea. It's actually somebody else's. But, if you put little hooks on them, they can serve as earrings. Oh, that's a good idea. Right? You can put little hooks. That's a very good idea. So,

26:12that's the kind of stuff I love finding miniatures that are Barbie miniatures because it's amusing to me Barbie has Barbies. Yeah, I know I love that, too. And seeing her play with them, I think it's just so unique and sweet. Is there a scene or a diorama that you've always wanted to create and you haven't or it's on your to-do list? Something big. Um You know, I don't know. I I worked on the '70s, that was my idea. Then I did a '90s bedroom and I did that. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. I bought a tiki bar last year at a doll show. So, I have a lot of stuff now that they're all set up that I'll be able to use more. And um, I'm not quite ready to start another one yet. Oh, I have a toy store that's not all made.

26:58In the process of being made. in the process. So, something coming soon that we'll see soon. Yes. I do have a toy store that's not done yet. I love that. I love the toy store. I was just going to ask, I don't think we got a nice close-up of your Minnie. And I know you have several. You don't just have the one. You've got several Grandma Barbies. I think I have eight or nine Grandma Barbies. Whenever I find her, I can't leave a Grandma Barbie behind. Whenever I find her, I bring her home with me. I have found quite a few at the swap meet and various places, the doll show. So, this is the Grandma Barbie. This one has a curvy body on it. Some of them I change out and give different bodies. I do have the regular made to move on one, so she can wear vintage clothes. Now and then. So, this is the Happy Family Grandma Barbie. Now, can you see the Happy Family? I see them. You want me to move that closer? Good idea. Oh!

27:51Oh, hold on. Hold on. My trip- My tripod fell apart at the seams. [laughter] And the timing, too. My tripod fell apart at the seams. That's okay. This is the original Midge and Allan. And then, over here we have the Wedding Day Midge and Allan with a little bit of their bridal party. Yep. And then this is the Happy Family in 2003. This is where Grandma and Grandpa came from. We've got Allan and pregnant Midge. We've got their two little kids. [snorts] And then we've got the Happy Family Grandma and Grandpa. Do we know, out of curiosity, if the Happy Family Grandma and Grandpa are Midge's parents, Allan's parents? Yes, they're mid- They're Midge's parents. Okay.

28:38I don't think I ever knew exactly who they were. They're Midge's parents. So, yeah. So, they are Barbies. They were made to be Midge's family uh, in 2003. And Mattel did another set of family dolls, which I collect, which are back in the day, in the '80s, they made Barbie's neighbors. And these are Barbie's neighbors, and they're the Heart family. And they made them as like, you know, Barbie's jet-setting and living in the Dream House, and doing all of that, but her neighbors [laughter] were were having twins, and driving around in a Volkswagen, and uh dressing like a lot of other moms dressed in 1980. I had a dress exactly like that. You know, I love this set. They're actually really cute.

29:29I love the grandparents in that one, too. So much so that I guess I can share this with you. Exactly. So, you know, Barbie had the pink Corvette, and she was doing all the great, zooming around. [gasps] And yet, we've got the Heart family, and they had a very sensible car, and they wore very sensible clothes. They had the twins, and so they made them just as their neighbors, but I think just as a very different, and they were so popular. When I post my Heart family, worldwide response. People in every country had the Heart family. They were very popular in the '80s. Yeah, they were, and they're really well done, too. And this car, actually, if if I'm not mistaken, this car looks a lot like the uh California Dreamin' or the Club California car from the '80s, too, '87. That's pretty. It's I mean, it's a cool car. I have the car, too, and I just think it's I liked it. I mean, they're living the white picket fence lifestyle as opposed to Barbie living a little more of the nightlife and the, you know, Correct. lifestyle. Exactly.

30:38There's the heart Yeah, so that reminded me of the Heart family, the little car that I have there. You've talked a lot about your swap meets or like estate sales and things of that nature that you go to. Is there anything that you recently found that was maybe rare or you were super happy to find it one of your estate sales or your swap meets? I have been finding some fun stuff at the estate sales and swap meets and one thing that I really love is the Dolls of the World. And I've been trying to complete my set of the Dolls of the World. I love it that there are so many countries are represented. And so just last Saturday I found her at the swap meet. And so I thought she was a beautiful addition to my collection. And then look at these three little the three little ones. I love those little like the little Look at his red hair.

31:31So and that's the wonderful thing is there are so many dolls out there waiting to be loved again. And most of my collection is swap meet or estate sales. There's a lot of dolls out there floating around and I love finding them and adding to my collection. My granddaughters love the fancy ones up in the corner. They love the fancy ones. I've got a few vintage reproductions and then over here we've got brides and then I have a lot of princesses and stuff there. They love those too. And then I put the family here for today. I know some people want designer dolls and some people have certain styles or eras they collect and I'm always collecting dolls that represent part of my life. For instance Farrah Fawcett was one that I really wanted because she was a doll that I remembered from the '70s. So stuff I love finding dolls at the swap meet in different places that really represent me and part of my life or what I've been through. And then the Western ones I got because we all lived through I mean, at my age lived through the Urban Cowboy and the whole Western and line dancing phase and we did the whole Western thing about 1980, 19 about, right? 1980s? Does she still wink, that Western that you have? No, bless her heart.

32:58I feel so bad for this doll. I feel so bad for her. But you know what? If I come across her, I will always take her because Right. So, I feel like she needs saving. So, most of them are dolls that I just like I love Malibu because I remember that was so the look in the '70s of, you know, Malibu. Okay, are you old enough to remember leg warmers? I am old enough to remember leg warmers. She was actually one of my first dolls that I ever got. Okay, that's very cool. So, I love the the leg warmers. I remember having striped ones like that. So, I think she's such a classic and I remember Olivia Newton-John "Let's Get Physical", all the the leg warmers and the whole stuff. So, I enjoy finding dolls that bring back memories like time capsules. Yeah. Superstar Ken looks just like a guy I dated. Not your husband? He doesn't look like your husband? [laughter] No. This looks more like my husband when I dated him.

33:55Is that who that's supposed to be? Yeah, but it's Harley Davidson Ken. Oh, it's the Harley Davidson. I like this outfit he's wearing though. My husband had a vest with fringes on it and he was had long hair and a beard and uh so, I just put Harley Davidson in this little fringed vest and he's supposed to represent Ron I'm I try to have dolls represent my family at different times. This doll was custom made by Tiny Ribbon Studios to represent me during my modeling era. I was just going to ask you, do you have a Tanya as a model doll? I'm trying to do like through the ages from my childhood through and she did a beautiful job the blue eyeshadow. [laughter] I love it. You know how there's this trend that people they reenact like a photo like sometimes siblings take an old photo and they reenact it and it's like them sitting at the Christmas tree or so and they try to reenact it. I wonder if you did that with take one of your modeling photos and do that with your doll. And I have a few times a few years ago but it's been a while and so that's something I would like to try doing again now that I have her. I redid my Christian Dior photo at one point with a different doll but now that I have her I would like to redo it with her.

35:07Yeah. Yeah yeah yeah. I probably just missed that. I mean you've got so much stuff on there. Oh it's been a lot yeah. But it wasn't with my custom doll so it'd be so different now having the custom doll and this is what my parents were like in the 60s. My dad was a Air Force pilot and my mom with a I love this. Is this the I think you did a black and white photo right with this? Oh yeah I did a black and white photo. Very nice. So that's the kind of thing I love to do is family photos and the other thing I like to do is funny. You are very funny. You are very funny. You know I think we all need to laugh more and it's not like bad things don't happen in my life but I really want my Instagram my social media to be a happy place that people are encouraged inspired they can laugh they can have a good time and it's pretty shallow. I don't get very deep. Yeah. It's like uh Reader's Digest used to say laughter's the best medicine. Yes it is. And so that's my account is that and so because of that when Barbie had her birthday this year I made senior citizen Barbie and I mean I put a curvy body on her I we painted some wrinkles on her made her hair gray and just you know it's just a little fun just a little But you know what this is what it is about your content that is just so different, unique, relatable. Barbie's obviously like living in a

36:31fantasy, but then when you're like, "Well, this is what this is what Barbie would look like if she really was a human at 66 or 67 years old." Like this is what she would look like. But and and maybe and it's just and and a lot of women said, "Oh, finally they made a Barbie of me." Cuz cuz you know, it's age changes things. And not every And like I said, not everybody appreciates that humor or making fun of Barbie, but I think we all need to lighten up a little bit. There's lots of serious stuff in the world. This is my happy little corner of the world. You just said it and I think a lot of people feel that way. We're definitely living in like very troubled times. So it's like this is our escape. This is where we want to kind of get away and and laugh and not take things too seriously and you could do a great job. How many dolls do you think you have? You know, I don't have any idea how many I have. I would say probably 300. I mean, I've got dolls here, boxes there and I have some in my office, but we've been slowly going through.

37:31My summer goal was to unbox everybody and so we're really working on freeing the Barbies. So we've opened quite a few, but I'm going to continue on with that. Hot topic on the episode is are you an unboxer or are you a box collector? Sounds like you're opening now. I'm an unboxer. I buy the dolls to photograph. I don't resell. I'm not buying them as an investment. I purchase dolls, I purchase them to photograph. And most of the time at the swap meet, the boxes are smashed or dirty or there's really no reason [laughter] most of the time to keep them, but I'm an unboxer because I want to photograph them. It's very difficult to photograph dolls in boxes. It is. It is. It's the worst. I'm a predominantly box collector and it's actually very difficult cuz you get the glare. So I'm starting to slowly open them and I was just taught as a child like, "Don't take them out of the box. You're going to lose the value. That's what was embedded in me from the adults in my life. And now I was I'm like I'm just going to enjoy it. So, I'm starting to open it. Especially if you're posting them online and you want to show off dolls. Like I said, it's very hard and they're beautiful to have displayed. I mean, it's a lot of fun to walk in here and see, you know, all these dolls. them. You want to touch them. You don't want to see the accessories like stuck on the side with like a piece of tape. You want to actually like put it together, right?

38:48Yeah. Do you have a few favorite Barbies there that you can show us and maybe why you would consider them a favorite? And it doesn't have to be a doll. It could be something that's Barbie related. I have a couple of Barbies that I set aside that I really like that I wanted to show you. One of them was Julia. Of course, beautiful. Because I grew up watching the show. I found this doll at the swap meet and it was signed by Bill Greening. [gasps] So, Wait a minute. Hold on. Hold on. You found this doll, number one at a swap meet, in the box and it was signed by Bill Greening? Yeah. So, that's a favorite find as you can imagine, right? Why would anybody get rid of a doll [laughter] that's signed by Bill? Well, you know, there's a lot of collectors that either downsize. In my area, what they do is a lot of the storage units have auctions and if someone doesn't pay their storage bill after 3 months, their unit is auctioned off. So, that's one way I end up finding a lot of stuff at the swap meet and the other is estate sales. You don't take it with you.

39:51And you leave everything behind including your Barbie collection. So, that's kind of a reality check to enjoy what you have. Exactly. Exactly. Another doll I love is I finally got the Queen Elizabeth doll a while back. And was this at a swap? No. I don't remember where I got her, but I want to do a whole royal thing. I've got William and Catherine, which I love, and I found Charles and Diana. I just recently found Charles for $5 at the swap meet, so I I thought I I need to move to California. That's where I need to There's so many people here. Yeah. That's the good part and that's the bad part. The freeways are crowded. It's congested, pollution, all of that. But because there's so many people here, there are a lot of ways to buy Barbies, thrift stores, garage sales, swap meets, flea markets. The Mattel store is 30 minutes up the road. Yeah. So, we're just Southern California has so much to offer as far as dolls, which then you can become an over collector and then you could end up on a show. [laughter] I wonder I think there's somebody I know that was on the show. Over collect I'm an over collector. [gasps] That's okay. It makes you happy. And that queen doll's not easy to find.

41:12Yeah, I bought one that was a clone first and I thought I would be happy with that and then I wasn't. So, I wanted you a whole royal setup. I'm looking for inspiration on how to set them up. And of course now I have to take William and Catherine out of the box to do that. You do because you can't photograph them in the box. They have to come out. They have to come out. Superstar Barbie is a favorite. She is. 1977, obviously reproduction. But when I was a teenager, that was the look. We were talking about what the look was back in the day. Superstar Barbie was the look and that was what I wanted to be was superstar. I was going to say you when you look at your modeling photos and you look at superstar Barbie, it's like that. Yeah, she was she was something to aspire to. Definitely. So, she's a favorite just because she's a memorable doll. Yeah, definitely classic. Do you have your oldest doll there? Oldest doll, hold on. Yeah. I often find at the swap meet or where I go older dolls.

42:13But, what I have discovered is I bring them home and I am not good at restoring dolls or fixing them. And so, I've got a whole box of dolls that really need help. So, I found this and the poor thing, bless her heart. She's just in bad condition. She needs help, but I love her face. And look at her dress. Her dress is in good condition. I know. She needs help. I find a lot of older dolls like this. Um just, you know, they just need a lot of help. So, I do have some older dolls. I have a box of vintage dolls that when I find them, you know, if they're just a few bucks, I'll bring them home in hopes that someday I'll [laughter] I'll wake up with the ability to restore dolls, but I don't think that's going to happen, but So, I do have a few older ones, but mostly I collect dolls that are reproduction or that have to do with my world. Yeah, fair enough. Do you have a doll there with a funny story attached to it?

43:12So, I wanted this doll. It was at the swap meet and the vendor was asking quite a bit of money for it. And I am not a good dealer. When somebody says they want $50 for something, I'm not going to say, "Oh, no, I want to give you 40." Or whatever it is. I am not a good dealer. And my husband grew up in the swap meet culture. His dad used to buy and sell at the swap meet and he's spent his whole life being a swap meter, going to swap meets. And he's like, "You need to haggle with them. You need to" and I'm like, "I don't haggle." So, I want You got to bargain a bit cuz they're all going So, I wanted this I said, "Ron, there's a doll over there I really want. Go ask them because I can't do it." And he's like, "You need to learn. This is" I go, "I can't. I don't have the guts. I'm not, you know." So, he went over and asked and he brought this doll back. He paid $15.

44:01And do you know what they were asking for it? I don't even remember, but I remember they weren't giving me a deal and he goes over there and he's talking to him, and he's like and he comes back and he said $15. I'm like, "Oh my gosh, Ron." Let this be a tip to you and all the other doll watchers that are watching this episode is that when they know you're a doll lover, they're going to try to get it out of you. And that's what Ron says. He goes, "Don't wear your Barbie shirt to the swap meet. Don't get dressed up and fixed up to go swap meet. You need to go looking like you're, you know, and you have to rummage through boxes, and it is a dirty job." Yes. And all that. But if they know you're a Barbie collector, they're going to charge you, and if you don't look like a Barbie collector, you might get it for $15. You got to bluff. You got to bluff a little bit. Like, "Oh, okay, I don't want that doll." What would you really do? I'm not good at bluffing. I've never bluffed a day in my life. Yeah. You did mention earlier that you were on the Jennifer Hudson show. You talked a little bit about your health journey.

44:54So, you've been very open and honest about your cancer journey. Looking back, did Barbie or the doll community play a role in helping you get through that difficult time? It was a difficult time, and when I was diagnosed, when they called and said it's cancer, I knew that it was going to be surgeries and that the next few years were going to be really a lot, and I thought, "Well, I could either share this and make it public and use this in my miniature world and show Grandma going through the same things as me, or I could just keep it a secret and just, you know, hope they realize I'm not showing up or, you know, wonder they're like, 'What happened to Grandma?'" And so, I decided to tell from the very beginning to share about my journey and to use Grandma to act out going to the doctors and getting an oncologist and having surgery, and I think it was therapeutic for me. And by me opening up, I can't tell you how many people in our Barbie world have experienced similar things, are currently experiencing similar things, and we're able to connect, and we've got our own little circle of, you know, and I would never share that unless they want to share their journey, but I've got a community of Barbie people that are going through, you know, similar stuff. And so I think by me sharing it, it opened other people up. So I think it was wonderful. It has been the best of times and it has been the worst of times.

46:18But I think having Barbie and using her to recreate it has been therapeutic. Yeah, that's a great way of saying it that doing that has been therapeutic and you just never know what people are going through. And so when someone shares their story, it's almost like someone could say, "Me, too." You know, like somebody opens the gate to allow someone else the feeling of you're not alone and people can understand and empathize. So very brave of you to share of that. By me being willing to share, okay, I had a double mastectomy. And you know, when I got the Barbie out to include her in it, I got my husband's, you know, plug-in saw out and I I gave her a double mastectomy, too, you know. And it was a little brutal and startling cuz just the noise of the sander, but cancer is brutal and startling. And and it is a horrible disease. And so I think by me being willing to be really up front, I probably helped me, but I do know that other people have said because it's a whole body image thing again, isn't it?

47:11Back to where I was years ago saying, "You are not what you look like. You are not just your body. You're more than that. And you can be different and you So I think that me doing that, it's my body image message all over again using Barbie. Yeah, and I did see that real. And you know what, you're right. You can't sugarcoat cancer. You just can't. When it comes to the doll community you've built to me one of the biggest doll communities online. What surprised you most about the people that you've met in I guess the last 8 years that you've been on Dollstagram? Well, it's been a wonderful community. And when we started, it was a small community. I know I saw Beth talk about this when you interviewed her. It was a small community and there weren't that many Like I said, most people didn't show their faces and most of us knew each other.

47:56And there was, you know, all kinds of different dolls on Dollstagram, but the Barbie people, a lot of us knew each other. And there was a closeness there, which I realize, as you get bigger, it's hard to communicate and to have that sense of community, but I think on Instagram, I think the doll community has done a good job of that, of trying to stay connected, of I know there's a lot of events going on that people take their dolls and have their dolls at events, and I'm not able to participate. And that is my But I think the doll community has been very supportive. I mean, I still communicate with a lot of the people from back then. So, I think Instagram is really unique that it has kept the sense of community for me. I'm on other social media platforms, and each one is different, but I think as far as artist and Barbie collectors and dolls, that Instagram really does have a big community of artists that are wonderful and close and and encouraging. Yeah, and very talented. Like, the amount of talent that's out there is unbelievable. And again, a lot of people are influenced by each other, and I think you've played a big role in that, too, where people are like, "Oh my goodness, this Gramma Gets Real Woman did this, and I want to try to do that." And it really inspires people. So, I was going to ask you, what do you hope people feel when they scroll through your page? I know what I feel, but I'm wondering what you hope people feel when they go through your social media. Well, I hope they feel seen. I hope they feel that they

49:18can relate to me, that I'm relatable. I know that we're through a phone, but the friendships that I have made through this phone have been amazing. Like, when you interviewed Teresa, she talked about When Teresa came to California, we were able to spend a couple of days together, and that's so amazing to me. I've met people at Disneyland, I've met people at Downtown Disney, people have come into the doll shows, and I've met them. So, I hope that when they see me, that they feel community, that they feel like they're seen. I want to be helpful. Do you Do you in the movie where the Macy's Day parade Miracle on 34th and 34th? Okay. And they go to the department store and the Santa Claus tells everybody where they can go find that toy. I know. Right? Oh, what was the name of the other store? Dimbles, Mimbles, Dimbles? Okay. And so I know that when I started and I wanted to collect Barbies and I wanted Oh, where did you get that and how did you find that? And I want to know how to do that. And a lot of people Some people were helpful, but a lot of people were like gatekeepers. I've worked all these years to build my thing and I'm not sharing with anybody. And I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I just wanted I was so eager to find out how to do all this." And I wanted to This is where I got it. I found this. This is how you do that. I wanted to be for other people what I was looking for when I started.

50:41And so you can go here and find it. It's not just mine. It's look what I found. I'd love to share it with you. So I hope they feel that that they can come to my account to find something new or something fun or like miniature dog bones for if their Barbies have dogs, you know? Milk bones, miniature milk bones. So I hope that I can be educational, inspirational, and you are, Tonya. You're all those things. That's why I was curious to know what you were going to say. Your page is very welcoming. It's very warm. It's very feels like I guess cuz of the family stuff it feels very much like home. And that there's exactly there's no judgement. You're approachable. I've also spoke to Cassie. Cassie was also on the show, and I know you and her have a great relationship, and she says nothing but wonderful things about you. And so I can see it just through your content and just speaking to you the last few days. So And she And she's amazing. And I think another thing is if you ever have an opportunity to go to a doll show, I've never been to a convention. If you have an opportunity to go to a doll show or somewhere you can meet other people in person, I know everybody can't do it, but it's so wonderful to connect, to meet in person is really amazing. So if you have a chance to meet in person like Cassie and I have met at the doll shows and we've met other places now and she's been to my home and that's changed things. Go where you can connect because I think connection is the key. Yeah, I'd love to

52:01come down to go to Sherry's doll show. I would love to meet Giovanni and yourself and Cassie and Chrissy and all the people that go down. Unfortunately here even in Toronto, it's a big city. We have toy shows and there's maybe two or three Barbie tables. It's not like a doll show. You would think in a big city. So my dream is to actually come down to California to go to Sherry's doll show. Okay, you need to come next July. Next July? Plan it. They always have a big one in July. There's a few a year but next July. Put that on your calendar to vacation in Southern California. I've got a year to plan. I would love to and California's beautiful. I've got family down there too. I know you've maybe talked about this. I don't know if people know but you are actually working on a book called Beyond Barbie. I am. Tell us a little bit about that.

52:47I decided it would be fun to write down my Barbie story. Everybody has a Barbie story. Everybody's Barbie story is important. I love hearing other people's Barbie stories and so I wanted to share my Barbie story in book form and so I've been working on that for quite a while. How I went from having Barbie to anti-Barbie to doing this Barbie thing again and it's been such a great experience and I wanted to show some of the things along the way, some of the things I learned and so I just wanted to share a bit of my story. Awesome. Is there any like excerpts or behind-the-scenes that you can give a preview to the Barbie Talk viewers? Here is the introduction to the book I'm writing. If you follow me on Instagram, you know me as a grandmother who creates miniature worlds with Barbie dolls. You have seen my tiny Thanksgiving dinners, my 70s living room, my Grandma Barbie drinking coffee in her kitchen while the dishes pile up in the sink.

53:42You have watched me recreate life in 1/6 scale. The messy parts, the beautiful parts, the parts that make you laugh. I'm crying. The parts that make you laugh because you see yourself in them. What you might not know is why I create this world. After decades of having a complicated relationship with Barbie, I have finally made peace with her. Why a grandma who celebrates imperfect bodies and real life once struggled so hard to become a living Barbie doll? This is that story. I'm sorry. I don't know why that made me cry. It's okay. Now you're making me cry. But this is what Barbie does to us, right? This is what passion does. This is what feeling, right? This is all This is all it's about. And already it's already beautiful.

54:30I'm sold. When can I buy it? [laughter] When can I get my copy on Amazon? So I've been working on it. It's taking longer than I thought. Uh you know what to include, not to include. My husband said, "Please wait till I die to do a tell-all." Oh [laughter] my goodness. Oh my goodness. So you know, it's just that's what I'm working on is, you know, the parts of the fashion industry I want to include, what's important, and what my Barbie story is. So I I'm working on it. So before we end off the show, I always like to end off with something big, maybe a recent find or a unique find. Do you have anything there that you could share? I do. I was at the swap meet last week and I saw something unique to me that I hadn't seen before. The Happy New Year's Barbies. There were two of them. They're Japanese Happy New Year's Japan. And living in Japan was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I lived in Japan in the summer of 1980 and I loved everything about it. It was really one of the best few months of my life. I loved it. And so I'm especially fond of anything related to Japan. And so this was a Happy New Year Barbie from 1995.

55:40Oh my gosh, she's beautiful in that beautiful authentic dress. Yeah, I love that. So, I got I was able when I lived there to go to tea ceremonies and actually was around people that dressed like that and served tea. So, when I saw that I was like, "Oh my gosh." And then there were two of them. So, and then this is the second Happy New Year beautiful doll. And I love that they include this on here, you know? And then she's also in a beautiful So, that's what it reminds me of is going to the tea ceremonies when I lived in Japan. So, it's the same thing. I don't buy dolls because they're so expensive or designer or something like that. I love finding things that relate to my life. And so, I think that's why when I saw these and the price was right. [laughter] Did you have to bargain or was the price right from the get-go?

56:32So, the price was right. The woman, her friend had given her a huge box of Barbies years ago and she had kept them in a storage unit, I guess. And then she decided she needed to clean out her storage unit and she brought this box that had 20 Barbies in it and she wanted $10 a Barbie. And I'm like, you know, and they weren't expensive designer dolls. They weren't fancy dolls, but I love this, you know? And for like I said, the price was right and now I've got these dolls that I didn't know even existed. So, they're unique to me and they're great additions to my collection and they'll look very nice over here, won't they? They will. They will. Here's so, you're going to unbox them, naturally. They're not going to stay in those boxes. Yeah. The boxes are beautiful. Do you keep the boxes? Some of them. If I really like the box, I'll keep it. Yeah, cuz it's got the cute little story inside. I've been trying to let go. My granddaughters are really good at that. Yeah.

57:33Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, did you find these at the recent swap that you did a video on and they just kept coming with stuff? It was non-stop. I haven't even posted this one yet. one. Okay, cuz I was something that you grabbed a couple dolls and then you came back around and there was more dolls and you're like, "I don't know how I'm going to get this home to the car." [laughter] Uh like I said, it's amazing to me that people are This is it. If you have dolls in a storage unit, pay your bill. Yeah. Don't let it go 3 months cuz they're going to auction your collection off and then you're going to be without a collection. So, if you have anything in a storage unit that you like, pay your bill. Otherwise, you're going to be seeing that on my on my YouTube. Exactly. Exactly. It was an absolute pleasure, Tonya, to have you on the show today. Like I said, you are a legend in the doll community and what you created goes beyond just beautiful content. You really showed the world that Barbie can tell stories about real life, real families, real struggle, real joys.

58:32And in doing so, you've also reminded us that imagination doesn't have an age limit. You deserve all the success that you've had up until now and I wish you more continued success from here on. And Sorry, I don't want to get emotional. I don't want to get emotional, sorry. Sorry. I wish you all the success that you continue your success and continue on a cancer-free journey because we want to see Grandma Gets Real for as long as we can, for many years to come. So, thank you for sharing your creativity, your heart, and your miniature world with all of us. Thank you. I'm so glad you got to come in my Barbie attic with me and I got to share my family of dolls and my miniature world and I plan on being around for quite a while. I hope to be and it's a wonderful community and thank you for including me with all your amazing guests you've been interviewing. It's an absolute pleasure. Thank you for opening your home to all the Barbie Talk viewers. Until next time, Tanya. Bye. [music] It's amazing how one doll can prove that imagination doesn't end when childhood does. It simply grows with us. Make sure to like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell if you love all things Barbie. And if you enjoyed this episode, click here to see one of my other episodes. [music] Thanks for watching.