South Jersey Barbie collector unveils Mattel’s new interchangeable doll collections

PHILADELPHIA -  Attention Barbie lovers, there's a cool new collection coming and a South Jersey Barbie doll collector unveiled it!

FOX 29's Kamryn Scrivens caught up with Phylicia Brathwaite about it all.

What they're saying:

Phylicia Brathwaite might live in New Jersey, but sometimes you can find her in Barbieland.

Brathwaite has been collecting Barbie dolls since 2000 and her incredible collection has reached over 100 dolls.

"I actually officially started collecting in 2000, but prior to that, I got a Barbie in about 1996, 1997 for a birthday party and I was like, wow, I've never seen a Barbie like this before and so I didn't want to take her out of the box. And my sister was like, why don't you want to take her out of the box? I said  there's something special about her. I think I'm just going to keep her and admire her."

"I collect all the holiday Barbies, so my mom gives me one every holiday," Brathwaite continued. "It's really cool to see how over the years they've changed, the face sculpt has changed, the hair has changed, the outfits… and I enjoy collecting the designers"

Phylicia says she tried to collect coins, keychains and even Beanie Babies, but nothing stuck quite like Barbie.

"As I talk to people about collecting Barbies, it's very interesting how they tell me, ‘oh, I remember playing with Barbie,’ and they have a fond memory about whether it was a childhood friend or a special doll. And what's really interesting is that as people talk about their dolls and the ones that really stand out to them, it's ones that they can identify with. So it doesn't matter how old they are, what background they have, they're like, oh, this doll looked like me, or this doll was special because she reminded me of something that I was interested in, so that's pretty cool to see the representation," said Brathwaite.

Brathwaite has collected Barbie dolls, including the Ghanian doll, African-American Charity Ball doll, Celia Cruz, Madam C.J. Walker, Mariah Carey, Billie Jean King, and so many more from various iconic collections. 

Her collection caught the eye of Mattel, who invited her out to their headquarters for their Mattel Creations Revealed event. 

During the event, Phylicia got a chance to press a button, revealing the next collection coming to the Barbie universe.

Barbie lovers will soon be able to snag a first-of-its-kind customizable Barbie. 

"In that idea of representation, they're actually releasing three different collections, and all the dolls are interchangeable. So you can swap their heads, you can swap their outfits. They have different body types, and the clothes are all designed to be able to fit the different body types. The hair has different textures, different skin tones amongst the dolls, so they're all meant to be interchangeable," Brathwaite explained.

A look of Mattel's upcoming Barbie collections featuring interchangeable dolls. | Courtesy: Mattel

After she was given the privilege to unveil the collections to come, when is the Phylicia Brathwaite doll coming? 

"I would love that…I think that would be really cool. I think first I need to solidify my space as the Barbie ambassador," Brathwaite said. 

So what will the Barbie connoisseur do with her growing collection?

"I really would love to put them on display at a museum or have some sort of space where other people can come and see them," said Brathwaite."I think that what's really surprising when I tell people I collect Barbies, they're like, ‘how old are you?’ But then when they see the collection, they're like, oh my goodness, I didn't know Barbie looks like this. And I'm like, yes and she does a couple of things."

"I would love to be able to have them on display. I plan to continue to grow the collection. Some of them do have a lot of value just based on the designer or how rare they are. But I'm more so collecting so that eventually people can admire them," she continued.

What's next:

We are manifesting Phylicia as Barbie Ambassador and Barbie Collective: The Museum.

In the meantime, see what Phylicia is up to and get the latest on her Barbie collection here.