The Doll Love Runs Deep: A Journey Through Time

While How It All Started… With Steve kicked off my Instagram adventure, my true doll journey stretches much further back—to my very first doll, the one that started it all.

I still have her—a baby doll dressed in pink knitted booties and a matching dress. She’s a black baby doll with bangs and two ponytails that once had pink ribbons (no idea where those disappeared to). Somehow, I held onto the booties well into adulthood, but they eventually vanished when my mom decided it was time to reclaim her space and told me to come get all my childhood keepsakes. I don’t blame her—it was long overdue. 😅

Fashion Dolls & Flea Market Treasures

Then came my first fashion doll, courtesy of my older sister—the glamorous adult with a job. She gifted me Malibu Barbie & Ken, along with the legendary Barbie Friend Ship Airplane. That same sister followed up with Tuesday Taylor and the Penthouse playset, adding even more miniature luxury to my collection.

From there, the floodgates opened—Christmases brought Darcy, all three Charlie’s Angels dolls, and even Donny & Marie Osmond dolls (I’ve lost track of which sibling bought those). Being the youngest of eight, there were a lot of influences pulling me into the doll world!

One of my most cherished memories? Flea market Saturdays. My family had a tradition of hitting up flea markets every weekend, and when I was 11 years old, I found the oldest doll in my collection to date—a Number 2 Ponytail Barbie.

She cost me four dollars.

Even then, I had an eye for collecting, because I’ve kept her like she was fresh out of the box ever since. No green ear, no plastic deterioration—just a well-loved, played-with Barbie in remarkably good condition. It wasn’t until years later, thanks to the rise of the internet, that I realized who and how rare she was.

Growing Up & Hiding the Dolls Away

By the time I hit 12, my friends started making me feel like I was too old for dolls, so I did what any kid does when they feel peer pressure—I packed them away. But I never got rid of them.

I just waited.

Waited until I felt "grown enough" to embrace my love for fashion dolls again—which, turns out, was NOT in my 20s. That’s when I passed most of my collection on to my nieces, keeping only my vintage Ponytail Barbie, Tuesday Taylor, and my 1979 Beauty Secrets Barbie.

Of course, tragedy struck. My Tuesday Taylor Jones became a victim of time and child relatives (the mechanical color-changing hair feature was obviously too tempting). Her color changing hair broke off. But the other two dolls survived, and I continued quietly collecting dolls in secret—keeping them tucked away in boxes. NOT TOO MANY! It was too early in life to become a hoarder. 😅

Dolls Have Always Been Part of Me

Even when I wasn’t actively displaying them, dolls were never gone from my life. It was just a matter of time before they found their way back front and center, leading me down the path of doll photography, miniature storytelling, and eventually… 3D printing furniture** to make their worlds feel even more real.

Funny how life works, right?

So yes—while Steve might have ignited my Instagram journey, my love for 1/6 scale dolls has been brewing since childhood. And now, here we are, bringing that passion to life in PamsPlayPals.