SPOKANE, Wash — The first Barbie doll was introduced to the world in 1959, making her 61 years old.
Barbie has had every job you can think of and there are Barbies to represent women from every country around the world.
Many people collected the dolls over the six decades she’s been around, including Claudia Bjorklund’s mother.
Bjorklund’s mother passed away in March at 90 years old, leaving behind a Barbie collection of at least 2,000 dolls. The dolls filled two garages and another room.
“Well, our mother loved dolls,” she said. “She loved Barbies. She loved Little Red Riding Hood. She loved Little Women and Gone with the Wind and everything in between. So, she was an avid collector. She liked to go shopping. She like to order things off to TV and they just kept piling up and piling up.”
She asked her mother what she wanted her to do with the collection when she was no longer around but never got an answer. She decided to host a garage sale on Friday to sell the Barbies and other dolls her mother collected over the years.
“We have some very high-end original collectibles porcelain dolls that we've been comparing on eBay what they're selling for and then we're selling for less than that,” Bjorklund said.
PHOTOS: Woman works to sell late mother's Barbie collection
She said they have something for everyone.
“I think I'm kind of in Barbie overload at this point,” she said. “I believe this one is Bob Mackie designer, the Barbie doll collection and it's one of the higher ends of the Barbies. There’s Cher in all her glory. This is a collector edition, and we've got it marked at $60.”
Other Barbies include Marilyn Monroe, Trekkies and Shirley Temple. Bjorklund said her mom had her favorites.
“So this is one of mom's dolls that, like I said, she loved Little Red Riding Hood,” she said. “This gorgeous doll the, I mean the dress she wears and the cape and everything is just gorgeous.”
If you’re interested in buying some of the Barbies, you still have time. Bjorkland will continue the sale Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and again sometime in late October. The sale is at her home north of Wandermere golf course on North Franklin Court.