Hands down, the best part of my childhood:

Barbie Never really played a major roll ironically enough in my little fantasy doll world. I think I saw Barbie as the quintessential doll of the Matell society and felt the need to extol her lesser known friends. Barbie usually piled in the reject Barbie case along with all of the other blondies various Aunts and Uncles sent me for birthdays and major holidays.

Ken WAS NEVER ATTRACTIVE. His hair was odd... the clothes that came fit for his manly figure (bereft of his manhood, mind you.) were forever grotesque and far far behind in latest fashion. He also had a certain dead-ness behind his expression. Almost as if, the real life Ken, would have trouble upholding conversation within a crowd or would have nothing interesting to share.

Teresa Was the preferred Barbie friend. She never got too much attention.. she had sported the color turquoise. She was the designated driver of my Barbie Jeep. I also referred to her as Kate.

Skipper The modern version of Skipper had the best hair; it was always so smooth! In retrospect, however, I think Skipper was the trashy little sister that probably slept around.

Christie I had only one.. and she was my all time favorite!!! I gave her all the coolest clothes and never tried to cut her hair or put her in water. She got the special treatment; I named her Mercedes.

Kelly Was a good idea at Toys R' Us, then I took her home and realized what little of a roll she played in the community I had developed. All my Barbies were young adults trying to become doctors and occasionally fend off their convertibles and dream houses from the Beanie Babies and Polly Pockets. They were too driven and preoccupied to welcome a child into their lives. So I just left Kelly to sit in a small tissue box asylum.

Barbie Dream House Despite the structurally unsound flooring of cardboard and the unpredictable lighting, the Dream House was the epitome of Barbie luxury. Only Kate and Mercedes lived there with their Jeep. It was well furnished with a plethora of cheap-o Barbie furniture ranging from the hot pink plastic sofa, complete with the pink coffee table and phone book. It also sported a bathroom with... YES... a pink sink, and what I remember to be a turquoise toilet. Yep. I drew my own posters to hang on the wall, and decorated a christmas tree for X Mas...