It's fantastic: movie boosts world's top Barbie historian's collection

Dorfmann holds some of her rare Barbies as she sits among hundreds of dolls at her 'Barbie clinic' in Dusseldorf, Germany. The recent release of the 'Barbie' movie has given new impetus to her collection of dolls, which she exhibits in museums. Photo: AFP

With her whopping 18,000 Barbies, Bettina Dorfmann was already in the record books, but the release of the blockbuster about the blonde icon has thrown a spotlight on her historic collection.

"As a child I always played with Barbies," said Dorfmann, 62, at her shrine to the plastic doll in the western German city of Duesseldorf.