Historical society displays collection of dolls

By Jenny Jones
Staff Writer

The first Barbie doll Jennifer Lahr, a Lafayette resident, owned was a 1976 super-sized Superstar Barbie.

"I thought it was so great," she said.

Although Lahr was excited to have the 18-inch Barbie, she said it was hard to find clothes for the doll, and it was too large to play with.

The doll's outfit, once white, is now gray.

Lahr's Superstar Barbie is one of more than 150 dolls the Tippecanoe County Historical Association has on display in its exhibit "Oh You Beautiful Doll, 50 Years of Fashion Dolls" that opened March 16.

Along with Superstar Barbie, Lahr loaned many other dolls from her collection of approximately 60 dolls.

Included in this collection are "Star Trek" Barbie, "X-Files" Barbie, a Cher doll and a 1970s Darcy fashion doll.

Lahr said she used to display her dolls in what she called her "toy room," but when her son became old enough to realize he could play with them, she packed up her collection and put the dolls in their original outfits.

With many of her dolls dating from the 1970s and 1980s, Lahr said most of the outfits are covered with sequins and topped with turbans.

"I can't believe that some of my dolls are almost over 30 years old," said Lahr. "I can totally remember people wearing those things and not thinking it was weird."

When Lahr learned the Historical Association was going to offer the exhibit she thought it would be an exciting way to get involved.

"It was a great opportunity to get out of the house," Lahr said.

Ninety-nine percent of the dolls included in the exhibit are on loan from local residents, said Dan Huff, marketing and public relations director of Tippecanoe County Historical Association. The remaining dolls are part of the association's collection.

The dolls are displayed in two sections, which are broken down into decades.

Lahr's Superstar Barbie is showcased in the first section, which also includes other Barbie dolls such as, Malibu Barbie and the first African American Barbie.

The second section includes Lahr's Cher doll as well as other fashion dolls such as, Shirley Temple and Kennedy look-alike dolls.

"It's very nostalgic because people saw (the dolls) when they were kids," Huff said.

The exhibit is open daily to the public from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. until July 22 at Fowler House, 909 South St. in Lafayette. There is a $3 charge for adults and $1.50 charge for children.

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