A Barbie Entrepreneur on Rare Collectibles and Buying and Selling

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. [music] Barbie Talk with Kelly in Pink. Today I'm joined by someone who's not just a Barbie collector. She's a reseller, entrepreneur, and full-time student who has built a business around her love for dolls. Adriana, known as Pretty and Pink Barbies, turned her passion for dolls into something truly impressive while managing school, work, and everyday life. Today, we'll talk to her about how this all started and even get a glimpse into her personal collection. Please welcome Adriana. Hi, Adriana. Welcome to Barbie Talk. Hi, Kelly. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to have you here. You look fantastic as always in your Barbie core talk. Thank you. [laughter] Thank you. So, I always like to start off with my guests telling everyone a little bit about themselves, where they're from, and how their relationship with Barbie started. I just turned 22. I've always loved Barbie growing up. We couldn't really afford them, so I always would get a couple maybe for Christmas, maybe for my birthday. I always loved going to Toys R Us. My family always got me like a Toys R Us gift card. I would spend hours in the Barbie aisle just trying to find the right one cuz I just, you know, there's just something like I didn't want to like at the time choose the wrong one cuz there were so many choices and I've always had them just growing up. And then when I was in second grade, we had

1:22a really horrible flood. I think it was Hurricane Irene that um flooded our whole garage and all my Barbies got ruined. So they they all had to go. The flood water was up to my pool. Like it like sit my above ground pool. Like it was crazy. So a lot of my collection ended up having to go. So then I had to restart. I know. I know. Um and then in high school like right before like I thought I was too old for Barbies. And I think I was maybe like 8th grade going into high school and I said, "Oh, maybe it's time to be more mature." So, I got rid of some of them. I donated them, which looking back, I'm like, why would I do that? And I just kind of like didn't think too much of it. I always loved Barbies. I always kept my favorite. Like, this this one right here is for some reason I've always loved her. I loved her pink hair. I just loved everything about her. And then this one, this one's entrepreneur Barbie. I got her maybe when I was 10, 11 and I told my mom, I said I'm gonna be her one day. I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I've always wanted to have my own business and it happened on a happy accident. So when I was like 14, 15, I had a cupcake business. Like I legit was making cupcakes out of my house for parties and everything. And I was going to make an industrial kitchen in this one office space I had. And I needed about like

2:4310,000 at the time. It was right before CO. So I just started reselling. like I was selling clothes and everything and I was working as a buser um in a restaurant. So, I had like about $1,400 saved up and I came across on one of the Barbie groups this Facebook post about like maybe two or 300 Barbies in Kentucky and I was still 15 at the time and I I reached out to the lady and I said, "Hey, like I am I'm so interested." And she was like, "Well, like how do I know you're not scamming me? Like you're really young." And I was like, "I'm going to put my mom on the phone." and uh like well well I'll talk like it's real I promise. So like we agreed on a price she and her husband drove all the way up from Kentucky to my office in New Jersey. I know and cuz yeah it was a trip like it's was a trip and from there I sold them all within 2 3 weeks and then one of my mom's customers said hey I have I have this estate. So I had I had to borrow money at that time because I you know was at that point I was just 16 and I didn't have that kind of money. So then I just kept doing it and it really was a happy accident from then I was like I guess no more cupcakes. I don't have time. I mean you already are a busy girl. I mean I don't know how you can handle So you're a student. Do you volunteer somewhere? Yes. So I'm actually a volunteer firefighter

4:05and this is one of my favorite Barbies. So this is the firefighter Barbie and I just she's just very special to me because I served my one fire department where I used to live in my old town when I was 16 and then we moved a year ago. So now I'm in a new one which I love my guys there. They are just incredible people and it just it's such a special thing. I've always wanted to help people and like for school I don't know if you know this I'm actually in mortuary school to be a funeral director which I know is very very different than [clears throat] Barbies. Wow. Wow, I did not know that. Can you hold up that firefighter doll just a little longer so we can see it a little more? Wow. And you know what I have to say just listening to you just in the first few minutes? I personally think that you definitely have the personality of someone who wants to give back clearly by the business that you do and by what you do with the firefighting.

4:57And I don't even know how do you balance all of this with being a student and and homework and sometimes you're trying to post something but you're like, "Oh, I got homework to do." How do you balance this plus family, social? How do you do it? I'm going to be honest, it's very hard. So, and I also have a full-time job. I work for my mom. We have a small retail business. So, I work Tuesday through Saturday there 9 to5. And then after I come to my office, and then I do school, I do the volunteering. I'm not going to lie to you, some days I have a mental breakdown, and I tell my mom, I'm like, I don't know how to split my time. And there's there'll be times on social media like I I'll disappear for like a week or two because I just I can't handle it. But I'm almost done with school my I'm hopefully my last semester. Then I have to take my national boards and then do a whole residency for a year to get my funeral director's license. So like I'm almost there but then I'm not. And so tell me when do you actually sleep? [laughter] Not often. Not often. It sounds like like you said it was just an accident. It didn't really go from collecting to this is what I want to do. You kind of tripped into it and then you kind of rolled with the punches. It seems I I did and I was grateful. So when I started getting busy, it was co so I didn't have to physically go into school. So from like half of my sophomore year, all of junior year, um I didn't have to go to school. Like I did I had the uh tech program

6:22for culinary. So I had to go half the day on some days, but I didn't have to physically like really go. So, I just stayed in my office and worked. And then my senior year, I hated it. I had to go in like for the full year, like, you know, regular classes when I'd be sitting in class, like I'd be working. And my teachers would be like, "Hey, like do your homework." And I'm like, "Hey, listen. Like, I'm working. I'm selling Barbies." And they're like, "What do you mean?" And I'm like, "Whoa." Like, and I show them. And they're like, "Well, that's weird." And ironically, when I first started this, about half my family did not believe in me. My mom was the only one that stuck by my side. Everyone told me I was going to fail, that I'm wasting my money, that this will never be anything. And now everyone's like, "Oh, wow. You're still making things happen." And I'm like, "Well, yeah." [laughter] So, it's it's funny how that works. Yeah, definitely. And I'm glad that you showed people that you could do it. And I'm going to talk a little bit about you've got this spunk to you. There's a couple things I want to talk to you about, but I'll save that for later.

7:21I think you said your mom or your parents have like a retail business. Did they always have this business? My mom and dad are divorced. My mom started it in 2009, so I think I was five. So, I grew up in her store. I've always worked. I've always had that work ethic. And she literally is my best friend. Like, I love that woman to death. There's times though I'm like, but I I'm so grateful for her truly. You're still very young and you started this very young, which is what makes it so impressive. like at 16 I wanted to go have fun with my friends and go to the movies and here you are starting up this business. So I think kudos to your mom. There's probably a lot of that just by you being surrounded in her business. There's probably a lot of skills that you picked up by just helping her there. Absolutely. And I always knew like growing up I was different than most kids. like when I would sell something awesome or just you know have adult relationship with like our customers and I go to school and I try to talk to people my age and I'm like oh we're not on the same level. So I never like really had a lot of friends and believe it or not in high school like probably started like middle school like seventh grade like I was alternative like I had blue hair dressed in all black I was really cool and um you still are cool.

8:34What are you talking about? [laughter] Thank you. I don't know. I never really had any friends. I just couldn't be bothered. And then when I started doing the Barbies and I just wanted to hustle. Like everyone wanted to party and go drink and, you know, go be crazy teenagers. I'm like, well, you know, something happened if you got into an accident or your whole life could be ruined. I'm not doing that. So, I just, you know, you've got a good head on your shoulders, Adriana. I can see that. Thank you. So, you were actually featured in the US Sun in 2023. How did that happen? So that was really cool. That was unexpected. So some of my Tik Toks started blowing up and this woman reached out to me on Instagram and said, "Hey, like I work with the US son. Like I want to do an article about you." And I was like, "Oh my god, yeah." Like that was my first ever anything. I think I was maybe 19 at the time. I was like, "This is the coolest thing ever."

9:27So, she uh talked to me on the phone, asked me all these questions, had me send her some pictures, and that was like a surreal moment because like here I am just a kid with the dream, and I had a whole article, which I I still like that's such a cool thing. So cool. It's awesome. And you could see in some of the pictures that you show like kind of what we see right now, like almost like a little like warehouse with all your dolls. So, tell me a little bit about the space behind you. Is this your warehouse? Is this kind of where you pack all the orders? Tell me a little bit about the space you're in. I have three offices. So, I have my main one which I kind of share with my mom. It has some of her stuff in it and I do a lot of my packing in there. Like I have like the other stuff that's not Barbie related that I sell like I keep in there. I try to keep everything separate. This is like my main Barbie like warehouse. It has shelves. There's so many. And then I have one more that I've been packing my orders in where I kind of when I get my new estates in, I put them there before I can, you know, sort them in here. And then I have a fourth office, but that is actually so I have a clothing resell business when you know when I have time. That's like where the Poshmark comes in and like that was really that was original like how I started with like trying to make money for my kitchen. I started reselling clothes. So, I have like a whole office full of bins with letters and, you know, just clothes. So, yeah. Wow. You've got you got to have a lot of

10:53space. Like, I mean, behind you looks like someone I'm sure a lot of people who who are watching are like, "That looks like a Barbie heaven." Like just all the boxes behind there. I would just stare at all the I just probably just sit there and stare at it. But you did mention online. So, you have a Merkari shop, an eBay shop, a Poshmark shop, a Depop shop. What's something people don't realize about, I guess, the amount of work that goes into it or anything that's challenging? Uh, I wouldn't even know where to start. It's It's a lot. I'm going to be completely honest. I actually my eBay store, like I had it just for the clothes. So, I didn't really put Barbies on there cuz every shop has different fees and different shipping problems and just it's a lot to manage, especially like I like I legit have a full-time job that like I have to, you know, not mess that up [clears throat] and then try to manage like all my stores and then I also do story sales on my Instagram where like I post, you know, what I have and then I have like I go through PayPal for those and I have a lot of clients internationally. So then I have to calculate shipping which takes time and go over the different options for them which takes time and if they you know want one Barbie out and then put another in my shipping box is now different. Like people just think you just take a picture and it's so much work and then I have to store all my Barbies and know exactly where they are when they sell and keep all my cost in mind and buy shipping materials. People just think you sell something

12:13you put in a box. No, cuz then that's how things get damaged. And I actually put a lot of love and care into my packages because, you know, like they're Barbies. Like I don't want anything happening to them and I know the people getting them, they're collectors and they appreciate them just as much as I do. There's so much to go into it. And sometimes like I'm up till 1 2 3 in the morning like listing things or answering customers because even with the online stores like I have to answer messages and a lot of Barbie collectors are very particular like they have me zoom in on the p like on the Barbie's faces and you know and I get it. It's very intricate. Yeah. As a collector myself, I can only imagine like sometimes it's like, "Can you zoom in? I want to see if her legs are discoloring. Is she getting the spots?" There's certain things that we know. But what's really nice for anyone who buys from Adriana is that she loves what she does. She loves the product. You're not just pushing something you don't love. And so, I can see that you are very understanding and considerate as if it was you getting the package. And that's what makes you a really strong business woman. Thank you. And you know, I've had too where like some people try to scam me or say something's damaged and swap it out for something else. And I'm like, like I know I am so like particular when it comes to taking pictures and knowing what I have. I'm not going to just sell a damaged product. Like I don't want someone getting something that's horrible.

13:32Like and if I know it, like I know things happen with shipping. Like I've had UPS throw a package and like crush it and I devastating. I understand things happen, but like that's like another thing with the business side. People don't realize that there's a lot of scammers and it's it's hard to know like who you should ship to, who you shouldn't. And then even like on eBay, like I have people that try to lowball me or cancel like mid shipping. And that's why I stayed away from eBay for a while. But I have such a following now that people just love me, which to me is such a crazy thing because I just see myself as like this weird cat lady, you know, that just I don't see myself how other people see me and I probably will never. Like I just see me as just some kid, you know, with a dream. Well, you're very humble. You mentioned that your first purchase was from Kentucky and they came down to bring it, which is amazing. Where's the furthest you've gone to pick up like an estate sale or an order or a hall? How far have you driven? Ironically, Kentucky. Right before my I think it was my 19th birthday. Maybe right before my 18th. I can't remember exactly, but it was this huge estate of over like 10,000 pieces between Inbox and Loose Barbies. I hired my sister's boyfriend. We flew down to Kentucky. We rented a U-Haul. We got an Uber from the airport

14:52to take us to the U-Haul place and then we drove to these people's houses and in their barn that was full. And then we did the swap and I think we did it in like two days. It was like a 17-hour drive cuz it was a big U-Haul. It was like the craziest thing ever. And all I wanted to do when I got back was sleep and then I had to haul them all up to my office and like that was one of my like craziest and biggest. And I haven't done too many trips like that. Um just because like I got my time is so limited especially with school. But um I have a lot that I I have shipped to me. Um or I have I I end up paying like whoever like I'm purchasing from like I end up either having them in like the deal drive them up to me or like we meet halfway. And like I'm also very wordtomouth. So like people like it once like they know I buy like they tell everybody which is really cool. Like I always have Barbies coming in. Yeah. As someone who's in marketing, word of mouth is the best free promo. It's the best. So, for sure. So, I want to start seeing some stuff, but before we talk about your collection, is there any dolls there that you recently got in an estate sale or a purchase that you just were like, "This is so cool or rare?" Yeah, I have a lot of everything here. Like, actually, I know this is totally going to change the subject, but this is my Barbie Corvette. [gasps] Oh my goodness. What year is that from? This is from

16:17I I feel like it's uh I think it's 80s. It has to be. Wow. It doesn't have the year on it. So, this is like my Barbie Corvette, but mine doesn't have the tea top. I would love to talk about your own personal Corvette. So, yes, you have a Barbie one there, but you actually have a fullsize one. Tell us a little bit about that. So, that's my 1988 Corvette. My mom surprised me for my 19th birthday. I was coming um to like just this surprise party. I didn't even know it was really a party. I thought it was just like a just her car club meeting that she wanted me to come to. She told me to dress and all my Barbie attire, which at that time in my life that's literally all I did. So I was like, "Sure." And I'm walking down this hill and all her friends are standing there and they all yell surprise. Like I'm looking around. I'm like, "Whose birthday is it?" Cuz my birthday was in May. This I think was July or August. So it was way past. So I never and everyone moved and there there it was this pink gorgeous Corvette and like I cried and the reason why the party was so late past my birthday was cuz the same time was the Barbie movie and there was a pink shortage and my mom had this Corvette wrapped in that specific pink and they could not get it which is so crazy to think about. You're right. That particular Barbie shade of pink it was like sold out. You could not find it anywhere. I know. So, you know, the all famous jewel hair mermaid.

17:42God, I remember I reached out to you and you're like, "Nope, she's gone." Like, this one's going to Chile. My client purchased her and is just waiting on a couple others that she wants and then I'll ship them all out to her and the quality of the box. She is just such an icon. I know. Like, phenomenal condition on this one. Yeah. Beautiful. Oh my god. That whole that whole line, those three dolls are just I know. So sought out. So sought out. Yeah. And then the Swan Lake. Swan Lake. Yep. Like this one goes so quick. And I've gotten three in two and a half weeks, which never happens. Usually it's like one a year. So I couldn't believe everyone goes crazy for them. This one is pending going to Germany. Yeah. You ship everywhere. You ship to Australia. You ship all over the world. It's it's amazing the amount of people you've connected with. It's crazy to think that someone has these many dolls just sitting in their home in this pristine condition. So, when I do purchase, half of them are um unfortunately like the family member has passed and you know, they're selling their collection and like some of them like they're displayed on shelves like in the sun and like some of the boxes are icky or they just find them at yard sales and they're just happy to get them. The other half are actual collectors that reach out to me because they know like how much like I truly like love what I do and they know like I'm going to do right by their Barbies. So like those ones are like pristine and it's just like it's incredible. And

19:05the amount that I've like just have come through and like the five years I've been doing this is just absurd. Yeah. I can only imagine. And when you're doing these pickups, like I'm assuming as you look through these collections that you're purchasing, is there anything that you're like, "Oh, I'm going to keep this for myself." And if so, like what do you look for? Is there an era you like? Is there a collection you like? What do you look for? And if you have anything to show, please do show. It really depends. Like I don't really go looking. Like I consider my inventory part of my collection because some of them some of them I've had for a couple years, some I have a couple months, some couple hours. So I I really consider my inventory my collection. But there was one I didn't grab it, but it's the Phantom of the Opera. My favorite thing when I was a kid was always just to Google Barbie wedding dresses. I don't know why, but I always loved the intricate details and they're just I don't know the miniature ver like they're just so cool. I always love the Phantom the Opera. Mom took me for my birthday one year to the actual Broadway show which was incredible but they took it off of Broadway. Now they have like this masquerade like interactive thing which I'm I'm considering but I always wanted that set and I said I'm never going to buy it. It's going to come in one of the estates. And when I purchase, I usually like I kind of just ask for account overall quality of the boxes, like if any are loose, if there's cracks or any damages. And then when I like bring them back to my office is usually when like I see them for the first time.

20:28So when I was going through and I I see that black top, I said, "Oh my god, is this it?" And it wasn't. I cried and I called my mom. I said, "You're never going to believe what I found." So this lovely lady is just the 35th anniversary ponytail, but she's a very special Barbie because so this is in my personal collection. So on the back, she is signed by Ruth Handler herself. How how and how? So, this one estate I purchased, it was actually it was I think over 10,000 I like paid for and I didn't even know what I was getting. This person just collected they unfortunately passed and they just like I have so much Ruth Handler signed pieces. Like I even had these little miniature Barbie decorative plates all signed and then I had so many signed pieces of Bob Mackey in the same estate. I had no idea cuz you know like these ones like the sun, the moon, they all come with the art cards and they all have like the printed on Bob Mackey. So I didn't think anything of it and then I'm going through them and then I see another Bob Mackey signature on it and I'm looking at it and I said, "Oh my god, these are like actually signed by Bob Mackey." So I had these custommade pieces. So I have I think about five of them. Like I have the sun, I have the

21:53moon, I have the golden one. I have two more of the the 35th anniversaries signed by Ruth Handler that I had my guy take them out of the box, cut out the Ruth Handler part and like frame them like kind of like that as like their own showstopping pieces because it's one thing just to have them in the box, but to like have them displayed, it's like a piece of art. So this one, so the plastic is yellow. This is 1960 number three ponytail. So, she does have a little green ear, but I took her earrings out. But she is actually in really incredible condition. I've always wanted a number one. I haven't I haven't gotten there yet. You'll get there. You'll get there. I I figured as much. But to have a number three, disbelief, you know, like like I have a number five here and I have a number four, which was like one of my first ponytails I ever got. This one's a red head. Oh, I love the red hair. Oh, the red. It's crazy to see like the difference.

22:52[gasps] Oh, look at that. Right. Oh my goodness. In great condition. And you could see the difference in the color of the plastic, too. Yep. Exactly. Wow. What beautiful pieces. And so, are these pieces that you've acquired through purchases you've made or is just something you looked for on your own? Just like in estates I've purchased. In States? Wow. Like I don't really typically like go out of my way to go purchase Barbies. I acquire so many a month that like I know like if there's something I'm looking for, I will eventually find it. I even have this super vintage 1961 still sealed 10 fashion. Oh, I love that. Yeah. Oh, I love that. And like this thing is pristine. Wow. And to think this was only a $1.40 in 1961. But you know what? It was all relative. People were making less money. It was all relative, right? But that's Oh my god, that's so cool. And then I have a 1974 uh Funtime Barbie. Oh, twist and turn. Look at that. Are you more into vintage or are you kind of into everything? Everything. Like I'm not too much of a fan of the modern ones now cuz I just feel like they don't put as much detail into what they used to. Like some of the silk stones that they do like my mom loves silk stones. Like the 12 days ones

24:15I've gotten her like I like them cuz like they do have like that vintage face which I guess I kind of lean more towards the vintage but I kind of just go like for everything. And then growing up like I had the um huge fivepack of the Barbies that like you could push the back and their heads popped off and then you could swap them on like that was my era. So it was like the beginning of the fashionistas that like now they're like untouchable. They're so expensive. The beauty of you being in this business is like you can first of all make your dreams come true because you unfortunately lost a lot of dolls in your flood, right? But then you're also making other people's dreams come true because there's a lot of people who My mom threw it out. we moved a lot, you know, whatever it may be. And they're looking to kind of feed that nostalgic piece of them. And that's something that I just respect so much about you that you really are doing that for people. You're making people happy. You're making people smile. You're bringing back people back to a happier time. That's why I just have so much respect for you and and what you do because it's it's really fantastic. Thank you. And I I actually like I really genuinely love what I do. And I hear so many stories of like a lot of my clients are actually men and like their families didn't accept them growing up that they wanted Barbies and now that they're adults like I'm making their dreams come true and I really think it's incredible and just like stories of you know Barbies damaged in floods or fires or stolen or damaged like their sisters cut their hairs off and you know all that

25:41crazy stuff. And I try to be very fair with my prices. Like I go off the market and based off a condition. Like I don't price gouge like some sellers do. Like I'm here to help others. That ties back into the mortuary. Like I've always just wanted to help people and I do it with the Barbies. I do it with the firefighting. Like I don't know. I've always just wanted to help and I I'm so grateful that I get to do that. Even what you do for schooling and the mortuary stuff, you're even helping people when they're no longer here, you know? Like you're even it goes that far. So, I'm so grateful that we got to actually meet and have you on the show because I just have so much respect for you. What would you say is the most rarest piece that you found or oldest piece you got at an estate sale? I would say it totally is probably the number three that I have. I mean, I have come across some of like the really vintage fashions. I didn't even know I was getting this one estate I purchased. It came with like a ton of porcelain dolls, which I try to stay away from cuz I don't really like I specialize in Barbie. Like that's like what I'm passionate about, what I'm good at. But, you know, every estate always comes with extra stuff. I can't say no. And there was this bag just full of clothes. And I was going through them and there was this one I sold I think for I don't remember it was $11.99 or $1,000.99. It was a um Francancy fashion I believe. I had no idea it was even, you know, worth anything and I Google lensed it and I said, "Oh my goodness,

27:03that." [clears throat] So that was cool. Francancy had some really cute fashions and I've learned through some some of my guests on the episode that Francancy fashions are very sought out. So, yeah, I I believe that. Do you have any dolls in your collection that have a memorable story attached to it that you'd like to share? I don't have any with me, but I have um quite a few of the Elvis Presley ones. So, when I was a kid, like for some reason, I've always loved Elvis Presley. Always like the music, his style. So, they don't do it anymore, but uh Graceland, I think it was Graceland and then it was Elvis radio on Sirius XM. They had um the Love Letters to Elvis contest where you would just like write a you know a letter and like I had to be maybe eight or nine. They could actually like on their page sometimes they post about it like just like a throwback and you could see me not spell words right and you know like I had like I told them like I got my mom into listening to Elvis Presley and you know like my cat I had one named Memphis Izzy. I have Presley now. I have Graceland. So like it shaped my like childhood. Like I loved Elvis and I collected so much memorabilia. And one day me and my mom were out just like antiquing and stuff and there was the Barbie loves Elvis Barbie and I fell over. I was like, "Oh my god." And I ended up winning the contest where they sent me like this care package and then from there like I collected more Elvis

28:24Barbies and then I went down to visit Graceland which if you've never been I totally recommend. It's like just such an experience. They had me on um the XM Elvis radio and like they interviewed me and at that time like I was very socially awkward and I was maybe 10 at that point, 10, 11. And oh my god, I said um a lot and I was just so shy and awkward. You're you're a child. I still say um all the time. [laughter] But I think what you're talking about is this. Yes, actually it is. Beautiful set. Absolutely. I actually have actually do enjoy Elvis dolls as well. I'm not a big Elvis fan like you are. There's just something about this era of music that I'm a fan of. I love like the like poodle skirts. I somehow got my hands on I don't know how the Elvis and Priscilla Presley wedding day. Oh, that is such a good set. Yes. So, I've got that one as well. It's another set is such an iconic set. Yeah, it's fantastic. The era of music I just adore. So, like this one's a really cool one. This is the silver label. The Flintstones. Oh, I love the Flintstones. So, I believe they don't make silver labels anymore. They have pink, they have black, gold, and like the platinum, but I don't think they do silver anymore. And this is Wilma. And oh, what was her name? Betty. Betty. Betty. How cute. Look at those faces. And like look how big their

29:47eyes are. Like Barbie, but like not. They did a good job on this. It's a nice mix between Barbie and the and the character. And then with the silver labels. So there's no more than 50,000 worldwide of this set, which is cool. This one is the David's bridal. Ah, and you love you love your bride dolls, as we've learned. I do. [laughter] Like, isn't she pretty? Like, she's just the dark hair. I love it. Mhm. I love it. I feel like I'm doing a whatnot show right now. [laughter] Well, you're an expert. You're very white. You know how to do it. Yeah, you know how to do it. I was going to say come on down, but I think that's um Price is Right. Yes. Yeah. I've always wanted to go on that show. I think you would be amazing on that show to be honest. Thank you. Oh, this one's a good one. This one's a black label. This one is the Share. [sighs] So, recently Sher actually turned 80 and I actually have I actually have a YouTube video all about Shar dolls starting from MIGO. Um I actually have that doll, but she's in storage so she's not here. I love that doll, too. to the point that I went and got myself amigo share. Wow. Yeah. With stunning. Yeah. She did was not in good condition. Like I had to fix her hair and it's still kind of poofy. And then I just randomly thrifting I found this guy Sunny Bono. Wow. This is not his original outfit, but yeah.

31:11So I see you have like all your Barbies displayed behind you all out of the box. So tell me about that cuz I Oh, you're Are you interviewing me, Adriana? I am [laughter] cuz you know like I'm a box collector like I hate anything out of the box but like my two like I played with these as a kid so like that's why they're out but like I know some collectors unbox and I'm curious about that. I have always been a box collector. So, growing up, I mean, obviously not my play lines, right? Like when I was a kid, I'd play with my dolls, but when I got my first holiday Barbie in 1992, and I got the Rapunzel Barbie, I think that's maybe around the same year, my parents were like, "No, keep them in the box. Don't take them out of the box." And my sister, too, don't take them out. And I cried and I cried. And then my mom's like, "Just let her enjoy it." So, I opened them both. And then later later on, like when I got my next collector doll, I was like, "I kind of regret that." Like I kind of hurt a bit because the boxes on those dolls were gorgeous and now my mom's like, "Well, I'm throwing this out." And I'm like, "But I like the box." And she's like, "But then you should have kept them in the box." So any of my collector dolls were all in box. As I got older and my space got smaller. I no longer have my parents' basement or garage or any of that to store, I had to start downsizing. So I do have some stuff in storage, but again, they're not being enjoyed. Some of these dolls behind me have been purchased this way. They were out of box. So, it keeps me from I don't know. Part of me likes to open the box, but then I kind of like buying

32:34them when they're not in box because I don't want to have to damage the box. But it doesn't hurt as bad. Thank you. That's what it is. So, the ones behind me were either thrifted or like a Facebook marketplace pickup or an eBay purchase that I purchased this way just to save a few bucks. And I just realized boxes take a lot of space. Now, am I going to open every single one? No. I'm a bit of a 50/50. That's the answer. Okay. Yeah. But that's evolved over time, right? So, some of these dolls are actually also like this uh Sweet Roses PJ. I've been doing some trades with some of my podcast guests. So, this was from Javanni from the dollhouse. So, we did a doll swap. So, this is one of the dolls. Yeah. So, this is one cuz I don't own any PJs. So, he sent me a PJ. And I kind of I like even when dolls aren't complete, like when I thrift them, I like to like she doesn't have her shoes. Like, now I'm on the hunt for her original shoes. It's all about the excitement of the hunt, too. So, that's that's where I'm at now. But my collecting journey has definitely changed because I don't have the space anymore. Understandable. Like some of my clients international, like my one client from Spain, sometimes he'll have me unbox his Barbies and I'm not going to lie, it pains me cuz I'm like box. But it's a difference between like a $50 and $100 in shipping. So I totally understand. In terms of the doll community and social media, uh your Instagram has over 35,000 followers. On Tik Tok, you've got over 27,000. So, what do you think it is about your

33:58content that draws people? So, actually today, which I can't even believe, I hit 36,100. Like, I've been growing rapidly. Like, for the longest time, I was stuck at like 32,900. I really think it's like I bring like the nostalgic factor back to these people. So, there's a lot of other people that do what I do. Like, I call myself a Barbie broker. That's what I call you. Thank you. I'm like on social media like I show what I sell. I show what I have. Other people that do this just list them on eBay and then they they just sit. Like I actually engage with my followers. Like if they ask me to show them something I do like I bring back memories and like the feeling of being a kid again cuz if I could go back like the um Bob Mackie Amethyst Barbie like that has like the really pretty braid. She's like purple. That was one of the Barbies that got ruined in the flood and I had to take her out of the box and then I ended up having to get rid of her cuz like she just was icky. And you know, doing this when I like I got my first one as an adult. I say that in quotes cuz I was still like 18, 19. I don't I'm 22 now. I don't even think of myself as an adult yet. And I saw her for the first time and it like brought me back to being a kid. And I can't even describe that feeling. So knowing like I do this for others, I think is incredible. And you know some Barbies for some people like you know their like their mom that was the last thing their mom got them or their dad or like a grandparent or somebody and like they passed and like that's like

35:18the last memory they had and like if I can bring that back to somebody I just you know I think it's incredible. So I think that's why like a lot of people want to follow me or think I'm cool which I to me like I don't know I just I'm just a Barbie weirdo. You're so cool. You're so cool. You're like the coolest. You're like the coolest. You do a lot of giveaways. you do some sales, you interact, like you said, with your collectors constantly. What's your favorite part of the doll community? I think honestly it's hearing the stories, helping the people make their memories again and like just connecting. And then like I had this one lady last week purchase one of my birthday Barbies for her daughter that's like two or three. So when she's older, she can have the same thing her mom had. So that's a lot of my um clients too, like they get their kids Barbies that they had as a kid because like they know how happy like they were. It's like it's just like sharing that feeling and I just I think it's so magical. Yeah, it definitely is. It definitely is. And you're you're a magician. You create the magic. Speaking of magic and Bob Mackey, can we see that beautiful plaque you've got there? So, this is in your own personal collection. Yes. So, it lights up, but you can kind of see the lights. Hang on. Maybe. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

36:30I see that. I see that now. Okay. So, there's a doll in there. It's the doll with the artwork that comes with the doll. Can you see the um other signature? I see like on the picture and then Yeah, there's two of them. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Right above the goddess of the sun, if you look faintly, there's a Bob Mackey signature. And that's actually Bob Mackey's signature. That is amazing. What a workout. I'm sorry. I had so I had my guy he did the whole like so the background is the actual box that comes with this and then you know that's her art card and you know that's the Barbie. So this is one of my favorite pieces. [sighs and gasps] It's beautiful like and so do you have this hanging up somewhere? I have it actually in my clothing office. I'm debating on bringing it home cuz I have so many. So my offices are a little messy just because I get so many estates in and so many things go out that I don't have enough time to keep everything organized. So, I'm trying to figure out where to hang them, where to, you know, it's a legit work of art. Like, I love this. I love what I do. And like, I love Barbies. Like, I'm hoping when I finish school, like I could have like Mattel make a mortician Barbie cuz, you know, like they have their career line. Barbie means so much to me. And Barbie means so much to a lot of people. And I think it'd be really cool to bring like attention because some people think mortuary is like a dark thing, but,

37:51you know, like it's really a more beautiful thing. It brings people together even though it's horrible at the same time. And I'm like there's just like so much love and care that like I just and you know us I'm almost almost a female director, you know, like we take on a lot of responsibility helping the families and doing the best we can. So I think it'd be cool to have a mortician Barbie. I like that. Thank you. This one is a gold label. This one's the jazz baby. Oh, I love that old school microphone and the clothes and she like there's her wigs fell on the floor, but she comes with little wigs. I love that. And like a box of flowers. And there's no more than 5,300 worldwide. Oh, this is super rare. Yeah, I had one um one time that had only like 600 worldwide. And this And this one is for sale. Yep. This one's for sale. Okay. Well, if anyone's interested in it, reach out to Pretty and Pink Barbies. Hit her up cuz that's a beautiful doll.

38:52I have so many. This one's the Tennis Stars Barbie and Ken. Oh, that's old. I like that. 1988. Oh, yes. I love that. I've had this one a while. And this one's for sale. Mhm. I've had this probably three years. And I just I don't really promote it cuz I like it so much. So, I'm like, if it sells, it sells. Like, this is like, like I said, part of my collection. Gotcha. [clears throat] You know, I love their matching kind of kind of set. That's what I love with Same with like the roller skating ones, like when they had like the matching outfits. I love that. This one's a good one. This one is 2008. So, I was born in ' 04. So, I didn't have these yet, but this is kind of like my era. Hold on. You were born when? 2004. Okay. [laughter] Honestly, can I tell you something?

39:44You're wise beyond your years, you know? Like you have like an older soul, which is not a negative thing. I've been told that ever since I was maybe like eight or nine. Like I've always like been such an adult. That's I think another reason why like in high school I had a hard time making friends, but I just they never understood. Exactly. Exactly. But that was cool. Did she come with the fridge? Yeah. Yep. And there's food in the fridge. And I love like this area where they had like the little cat. Cute. Yeah. And then this shows you all like what's in the fridge. Wow. Oh, the troll troll Barbie. The troll Barbie. Yes. It's like this one I think is so cool because it like legit comes with little trolls. And those little trolls. Oh man. At the time trolls were the thing. I had one that went on my pencil like right on the lid of my pencil. That's really cool.

40:33Mhm. Look at that. Right. And you know like that the little trolls that you would collect, they're a lot of money. I can't believe it actually. Because again, people, it's nostalgic. People who had those as a kid, they're looking for them the same way. And that's kind of a cool Barbie kind of brings the two together, right? Yeah. You know what I love and I keep looking for? Target exclusives. Like those Halloween Target exclusive dolls because there's no Target. That's funny. I That's the only one I have actually. That's like one of the only ones I have because we don't have a Target in Canada. So, I was never able Yeah, we don't have Target here. So, when I I did a video on Halloween bar Oh, I love that one. That's like from the early 2000s. Yeah, she is 09. Yeah, I got to look into your Halloween dolls because there's even like the Barbie and Ken where they're dressed up as like pirates. Mhm. Oh, [sighs] yeah. I'm a huge fan of the Halloween Barbies cuz my mom is born October 29th, so she always like had her own collection of Halloween Barbies. You've got more.

41:37Oh my goodness. Oh, you have them all. Do you have the one in the white dress that glows in the dark? That one sold. That one's a good one. That one goes quick. But I like I have so many. Oh, I love them. My Halloween section used to be on the other side, but I've been redoing everything. So Oh my goodness. [gasps] Yeah, there's even though what was the other one? The fortune teller. I love that one's a good one, too. Oh my goodness. Yeah, I love these dresses. They're so cute. I just wish they gave them real brooms instead of the paper brooms. I know. Look at this one. That's the one I love cuz it looks like she's actually sitting on the broom. I love that one, too. I got to go shopping on your Merkari and your Poshmark after this. Yeah. Like I have so many.

42:24Oh my god. And like a lot of them go so quick. Of course. And I always love the ones that have like a streak of color in their hair. Mhm. This one has a black streak. I like it. Yeah. Love it. What do you have there in front of you? So, let me do this one first. This one's the sign language Barbie. Oh, cute. It looks like the teacher Barbie from the '9s, but it's sign language. I think it's really incredible that they did a sign language Barbie. Wow. I've never seen her. Like, it looks like the same chalkboard and stuff. So, she does stuff with her hands. So, her hands are stationary, but they like they're signing. Um like that's I love you. Yeah. I love you. Yeah. She's doing this. Yeah. Yep. Wow. That's so sweet. And then it has a little sign down here like you know showing you what what for my school like we had to either learn French or Spanish. Sign language was never an option. Like I have a deaf um older cousin and you know I only knew like a little bit to sign with her. Like she was 20 years older than me. So like you know when I grew up like she ended up like moving to a different state but like she would watch me and like like I knew drink. I didn't really know much. I was like four or five you know in high school like I wish like I had that opportunity cuz you know at work like I have some deaf customers and like my mom knows sign language you know because of my cousin but I don't and I feel like it's such a horrible thing that

43:47I can't communicate and I feel I feel bad. And then this one's a cool one. This one's chocolate obsession. I have her. I love her. Or does she still smell like chocolate? No. There's these little holes on the box. When you would squeeze the box, there would be like a chocolate scent that would come out of it. And she she's a silver label, too. Exactly. With that brown dress and the brown hair. She's beautiful. Yeah. It's giving me like model of the moment. Marissa. Yes. Face mold. Oh, those earrings. Oh my gosh. I forgot about those earrings. This one's Millennium Wedding. Very nice. I even have the Ree Acura gold label um bride Barbie which she is oh you don't you can't see her but she's um in her big like her box is gigantic like it's huge and sometimes I'm like I don't think I have a lot of Barbies and then I start pulling them out and I'm like I might have a lot. Yeah. What's one Barbie doll that's on your dream wish list? Honestly a number one ponytail. I think it's really any collector's Yeah. But I think she's coming. She's coming to you.

44:54Manifesting it. Yeah. Exactly. You've managed to turn something that people just see sometimes as just a hobby into a real business. Did you always believe that this was possible or did it surprise you on how much it grew? Honestly, it surprised me. Like it really happened overnight. What really like kind of got me into the whole Barbie thing like looking on Facebook was when I was, you know, trying to afford like my industrial kitchen. Uh there was this little auction house by like near me that they had a couple Barbies and one was the Legends of Ireland, the Bard Barbie and I ended up bidding like $70 and when I got her I was like that's a lot of money like oh my god like I'm 15 I like that's cuz I bought like a couple things but I was like panicking and then I saw I could sell her for 140 and I was like oh my god like maybe like I could start you know doing this cuz I didn't think of it like just you know it just was a quick flip in my head just to pay for my cuz I was going to do just all used items and you know and then I got that estate and it just kind of spiraled and the Barbies had paid for my whole schooling. Like I didn't have to take out any student loans. So I bought a used 2017 GMC Terrain. It was actually my stepdad's grandma. She passed but um I ended up buying it from him and you know the Barbies helped with that. Barbies have pretty much funded my my whole life and I'm so grateful for that.

46:16I don't see myself the way others see me. And I just think it's so incredible that like people really think I'm out here doing, you know, like great things. And it it warms my heart. Like it makes me feel like maybe this is the right path cuz there's times where like sometimes I drive home and I'm like I don't know who I'm supposed to be or what I'm supposed to do. Like do I stay working with my mom? Do I go the funeral route? Do I stay doing Barbie? And you know like I feel like at 22 like I should have an answer. Like my mom's like, "Listen, you're still a kid. Like, you don't have to." Like my mom's done like three different career changes and she said, "You know, there's it's okay." And I'm the type that like I have I have to know. So, recently, I feel as if like this is what I'm supposed to do. Like, this is who I'm supposed to be, and I think this might be the path. The fact that you have a lot of um options is great for someone at your age, cuz some people at your age still are like, "Which way do I go?" And you're like, I could go here or I could go here or I could go here. You've got lots of options. Yeah. Let's see what else I have. I It's kind of like eeny meenie miny mo. Eeny meenie miny mo. Which doll? There's just I think up here is actually an Elvis doll. Oh, is it the jumpsuit? It's a gold one. Oh, this is the King of Rock and Roll. Oh, that's fancy. Oh, I've never seen this one. It's a the timeless

47:39treasure. Um yeah, like and then You all know I love that hard top. I don't know what it is, but it just Yeah. No, the hard top box dolls say something like, you know, that's a classic or a quality doll. Yeah. And then this one, I think, is my Cleopatra. Yeah. This is the Elizabeth Taylor and Cleopatra. Oh, wow. It looks just like her, too. They did a good job on her face. They did. Oh, yes. Look at that dress. I know. Beautiful. And this is the back. So, this is the side, which I love. And then this is the back. Oh, beautiful. And then I love doing that. Yeah, she's so pretty. Before we wrap up, is there anything that you have there that's maybe a one of a kind or something really rare that you'd like to share that maybe nobody has seen before? So, this piece, it's really special and really awesome. This is in the same estate I got that and I had no idea that I was getting these. I had no idea these existed. So, these are So, I'm going to show it back. So, each one of these are um like a Bob Mackey art card of, you know, you know, each Barbie he designed. And the person who had these actually had Bob Mackey sign each

48:59one of them. So, I had my guy make me this frame because I think they're incredible. Oh my gosh. So, this is the same guy who made the other one with the lights and then like the backgrounds like each corner each Let me turn off the lights so it doesn't have the glare. Go ahead. Go ahead. Okay. So, each corner like this is the gold Barbie. So, he did her box. This is the queen of hearts. So, he did the hearts. Then we got the sun up here. And then the last one's the masquerade. This is personally one of my favorite pieces because it's legit four things signed by Bob Mackey. That's what I can't even fathom how much like this would actually be worth if I ever had to sell it cuz I don't even know if you could put a price on something like this. And it's like even the bordering around it has like the patterns. Is the Barbie logo like on the glass? Like is it printed on the glass? Yeah, he had that for me. And it says Bob Mackey authentic autographs.

49:58Wow. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Like this is this is my pride and joy. Yes. That is definitely one of a kind. Wow. And these art cards are from 1995 is when they were done. Wow. So, the fact that they're this pristine. Wow. That's amazing. That is amazing. Shout out to Bob Mackey and his beautiful contribution to the doll community and to Barbie. Beautiful dolls. Beautiful dolls. How many dolls would you say you have if you had to guess? So, I probably have over 10,000 if I include the box and loose. And that's including your collection or just like the for sale stuff? Just for sale stuff. Wow. Before we wrap up, let everybody know where they can find you. So, um, you can find me on Instagram at Pretty and Pink Barbies. On Tik Tok, it's Pretty and Pink Productions. So, on my Instagram, I have my little link tree that has all my links to my Tik Tok, to my eBay, to my Mccari, to my whatnot. Thank you so much, Adriana, for being on Barbie Talk. I've had so much fun with you today and seeing all of your collection and hearing about your business.

51:03It has been truly inspiring to hear how you've built this just from a passion, something that just kind of came out of nowhere was an accident, especially being so young. And what stands out most is how unapologetic you are and how you stand up for your business and for the doll community. You take the time to defend your work, your process, the people who rely on you. You manage so much in your life. Like I said, you're an old soul and I have so much respect for how much you want to help people. And whether that's through dolls or through what you're doing in school, it really just shows the kind of character that you are. Um, you've built a brand at 16 years old with heart and a real sense of purpose. And for that, I want to thank you for your time for being on the show. Okay, I'm not going to lie. I'm like starting to tear up a little bit. Oh my god. No, that's so sweet. No, you you were so sweet. Like I it it really means so much hearing that from you. Like you were so inspiring. It's so it's just so incredible and I'm I'm so grateful for this opportunity. Like it really means the world to me. Oh my god. Oh my god. You're so sweet. This is why I wanted to start this was to get to know people first of all because I think a lot of us we chat on our phones and we chat on Instagram but that's as far as it goes. And I want to get to know people and I want to see like how did your love for Barbie start? like we're all connected

52:25through this one doll and uh you go above and beyond for that to bring a smile to people's faces and you're so inspiring and I can't wait to see where life is going to take you cuz I think there's big things in your future for sure. Thank you so much, Kelly. Oh my god. [laughter] And I know you usually get emotional, but it just it [clears throat] really means a lot. So anyways, I'm so sorry. I wish I could give you a big hug. I'm sending you a big hug from Canada again. Thanks for being on the show and I look forward to continuing our friendship. I really do. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. Bye, Adriana. Bye, Kelly. It's [music] amazing how one doll can open doors you never expected, giving people the freedom to collect, to share, or build something of their own, no matter where they are in their life journey. Make sure [music] 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.