Meet the CPT man who has over 1 500 Barbie dolls [video]

A 36-year-old man from Cape Town has amassed an impressive Barbie collection, and according to him, he has collected over 1 500 dolls to date.

An amazing Barbie collection

According to East Coast Radio, Justuis Pieterse Manefelt has a stunning Barbie collection. Justuis, who is also a dad of a 10-year-old daughter, collects Barbie Dolls and is proud of it.

“I started Barbie dolls when I was a young boy. My mother was not very happy, but my father stood up for me. I am very proud of my collection. Every morning when I wake up, I walk through the room and just look at them.“

It is said that his daughter is not much of a Barbie lover, even though she had played with some of her dad’s dolls when she was a toddler. 

My Barbie collection. Meeste van hulle kom van oorsee af. Dankie Sharon Dilworth en Mario Haupt . Sonder julle 2 so ek dit nie gehad het nie. #barbiecollector #barbieguy

Posted by Justuis Pieterse Manefeldt on Monday, August 12, 2019

BARBIE SALES HAVE RISEN 7% IN THE PANDEMIC

Last year it was reported that sales of the iconic Barbie doll were bucking the decline in toy sales. The demand for Barbie, who is manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc. has actually gone up by 7%.

According to NPD, a research firm in the US that tracks the toy industry, the Barbie range was the most popular toy in America for five straight weeks.

Part of the reason for the popularity of Barbie, who still looks remarkable youthful for someone born in 1959, is the need to keep kids entertained during lockdown, says the industry publication Toy News.

But, given that most other toys are showing a sales decline, the key reason is likely the way in which Mattel has managed to keep the eternally young-looking lass current and in tune with the times.

Once purely an impossibly long-legged and slim blue-eyed blonde, she has since re-invented herself more times than Cher and Madonna combined.

“The popularity of Barbie shows how a well-known brand can be adjusted to fit the times,” says the Bloomberg news agency.

Photo: Justuis Pieterse Manefelt