I've known our 11 1/2" fashion diva / movie star on a first-name basis since she first arrived on the scene; I won the blonde beauty at the 1959 birthday party of the red-headed nephew of Ruth and Elliot Handler. His cousins, of course, were Barbara and Kenneth. Thus was my introduction to the world of Barbie. The svelte plastic figure in the classic black-and-white striped swimsuit commanded a place of honor on my bed atop my pink-and-white striped bedspread, and dethroned my Betsy Wetsy. My fashion-plate mother –an aspiring model before she married my aerospace engineer dad – was intrigued. Read More...