Pleasant Hills woman’s passion for Barbie dolls inspired by her late mother
Dressed in bold red, bright green and shimmery pink ball gowns, Kim Bennear Fancsali’s Barbies are perched atop two shelves in the corner of the room.
Some have sparkling tiaras, others are adorned with colorful capes and puffy faux fur. Fancy necklaces and earrings complete the look.
They are from the holiday Barbie collection – the dolls are still nestled in their original packaging.
“Each one is special,” said Fancsali of Pleasant Hills, who has been collecting the dolls all her life and estimates that she has more than 1,000 dolls. “They all mean something to me. I like to look at them and admire all the details on these dolls. They make me happy.”
Reserving a designated space in her home for Barbies, it’s no surprise Fancsali attended the “Barbie” movie on Thursday night at AMC Waterfront 22 in West Homestead with her daughter, Susan.
“The dolls keep me young at heart,” Fancsali said. “They bring back good memories. My mother loved Barbies and bought so many for me. She would call me to tell me a package came in the mail for me.”
In that package was another Barbie that her late mother Connie Wible had bought for her daughter. She purchased the first Barbie for her daughter when she was 3 years old. It is called a No. 5 model and has red hair.
Fancsali still has it.
She takes great care of the collection. She has them grouped by when they were launched or which collection they belong to. She said she never looked at Barbie as a doll with a perfect figure.
“Barbies are for dressing up and having fun,” she said. “They represent fashion and inspiring women and decades of style.”
She said Mattel, Inc., which manufactures Barbie, has evolved and become more inclusive with dolls in all ethnicities and different hair colors, one in a wheelchair and another with a hearing aid. There is a doll with a prosthetic leg and one with Down syndrome.
“This is everything I have ever wanted” says the sign on the door to the room where the dolls reside. There is a bed with a Barbie blanket and pillowcase. There are Barbie books and carrying cases and cars. Fancsali even has a collection of Barbie holiday ornaments.
In the room on the bottom row of a display case, the character Dorothy along with the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz” peer out through the glass.
There are dolls from “Gone with the Wind” and “My Fair Lady,” and others dressed in style from fashion designer Bob Mackie.
Fancsali has dolls that date back to the 1960s and 1970s. There are dolls representing the four seasons, porcelain dolls in wedding gowns and dolls with Coca-Cola and Andy Warhol-inspired clothing.
Many dolls have been made in honor of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elton John, Elvis and Queen Elizabeth. The Dolls of the World include Ireland, Spain and Russia. The Inspiring Women collection highlights people such as astronaut Sally Ride.
Fancsali uses the dolls to promote literacy at local libraries.
“I would bring a doll and read to the children about who that doll was,” she said. “I am a Barbie girl in a Barbie world. I love her fashion and I love all the dolls.”
Barbie debuted in March of 1959, Fancsali’s birthday is in April.
“I believe there’s a connection,” said Fancsali, as she stood among the collection on Wednesday. “My mother told me when I was little I would sit for hours in the corner playing with Barbie dolls.”
She’s passed the love of Barbie to her daughter, Susan Fancsali.
“I love that she is passionate about teaching children that you really can be anything just like Barbie says and the importance of literacy,” Susan Fancsali said. “I love being able to find her vintage Barbies and seeing the excitement on her face when I give them to her and hearing stories about when she had those dolls as a child. “
Fancsali said the movie was “hilarious.” She and her daughter dressed for the occasion wearing Barbie attire.
“As far as the movie, ‘come on Barbie, let’s go party,’” Susan Fancsali said. “I (was) beyond ready and we (were) at the Thursday night showing before it hits theaters beginning Friday. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
And neither would her mother.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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