Hello dolly

>> Living the Barbie dream

by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Jane Dawson

Age: 39

Occupation: Barbie doll specialist, proprietor of Maddie's Dolls and More in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue.

Bio: This West Island native and spirited single mom set up shop in late '98 with the intention of devoting her store exclusively to the wonderful and disturbingly sexual creature that is Barbie. Selling nothing but collectable Barbie dolls, she claims to be doing acceptable business and hopes to soon be in a position to hire an employee to help her out around the shop. Her store is named after her eight-and-a-half-year-old daughter Madeline.

Who the majority of her customers are: Adult collectors over the age of 30.

What adults do with their brand-new Barbies: "They like to make up scenes, do little dioramas with their dolls, change their clothes, do their hair, give them makeovers, stuff like that."

Are a lot of her customers crazy? "It's certainly a personality type that likes to play with Barbies as an adult. Barbie is an obsession for a lot of people. I think it may fill a hole in their lives. But for most people it's really just a hobby."

Does she have a large male clientele? Yes.

Are any of her male customers not gay? Not too many, if any. "One or two of them might be straight."

Why would any grown-up want to collect Barbie dolls? "Some people collect Barbies because they want to rediscover things from their childhood, others because they were poor and couldn't have a Barbie when they were growing up and now that they are more affluent they want to own pretty dolls. Barbie is a real luxury item--you don't really need it. I suppose it's like art for some people. You can just sit back and admire how beautiful your Barbie is and it's a lot cheaper than going out and buying yourself a painting."

Do activist types like the Barbie Liberation Army ever come to her store and give her trouble? Not yet.

Why she feels Barbie's bad rep with certain feminists is ill-considered: "If you look at the history of Barbie you will see that she's been an independent, single career woman since the 1960s. She's been an astronaut, a policewoman, a doctor, a firewoman, a circus performer. People who go on about how fluffy and stupid she's supposed to be just don't know enough about the subject. Besides, it's you who gives Barbie her personality, not Mattel. You decide what she is going to be."

As a little girl did she ever hope that she might one day grow up to have a shape like Barbie? No. "I never really noticed her body. I just focused on her clothes and cool lifestyle."

Has she ever had sexual fantasies about Ken? No, as a child GI Joe was more her kind of guy. "Ken is probably a closet case."

Her personal favourite Barbie: Billions of Dreams Barbie, which she purchased for $427.

One place she hangs out: Marlowe's in Pointe-Claire.

Hobbies: Sewing Barbie dresses, collecting miniatures.

Words of wisdom: "Go for it! If you've got something you want to do, then just go out and do it."