The Barbie Movie May Have Brought In Big Bucks at the Box Office, But One Collector Has Thousands Worth of Barbies in Her Toy Box "Barbie" had the biggest opening weekend of 2023 so far.
By Sam Silverman •
Key Takeaways
- The Barbie movie brought in $155 million in its first weekend.
- The Guinness World Record holder for the most Barbies has 18,500 in her collection.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Barbie is all the rage following the success of the new "Barbie" film, but one collector has been on the Barbie bandwagon for a lifetime — and has thousands to show for it.
The "Barbie" movie brought in $155 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend, breaking the record for first-weekend success for a film directed by a woman, according to AP News. However, Bettina Dorfmann has been breaking records with Barbies since she won the Guinness World Record for the biggest Barbie collection in 2005 – a title she still holds today.
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When Dorfmann, 62, first broke the record, she had 2,500 Barbies to her name. Her collection grew to 15,000 Barbies by 2011, and today she has 18,500 in her haul, according to various news reports.
Dorfmann has been collecting since she received her first Barbie in 1966, and her collection includes an original Barbie from when Mattel launched the doll in 1959. That Barbie sold at auction in 2006 for $27,450, so while there's no official tally to Dorfmann's collection, it's likely worth millions.
(As someone who collected Barbies as a kid—before my father gave them away when I went off to college—you can imagine my disappointment when I saw my Celebration 2000 Barbie going for $11,000 on eBay.)
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Dorfmann told i News that collecting Barbies is a great way to see how the world has changed, "including women's careers from the 50s to today."
She has already bought the new movie-related Barbies for her collection, of course, including the new Margot Robbie Barbie that's currently sold out at big retailers (but can be found on eBay for $144.99).
Dorfmann has been able to make a living off her collection by lending her dolls for exhibits, writing books, and offering doll repairs in her "doll hospital," according to Guinness.
