I remember her fondly: she was brunette, like me, and technically not Barbie but Barbie's pal, Teresa. Specifically, the Glitter Beach edition of Teresa, who came with a yellow one-piece swimsuit covered in brightly coloured flowers. She came with a gem necklace (which, honestly, was maybe a little much for the beach) and a matching headband. And unlike the 1997 Happy Holidays Barbie, who wore a stunning red gown, Teresa was removed from the box and not safe from my elaborate make believe scenarios.
And while Teresa wasn't my first-ever Barbie, she was the one I have the most distinct memory of. As she was beach-ready, young Lindsay decided that Teresa needed a tan. So I, of course, set her up on a table lamp in my room — gotta catch those UV rays. It didn't take long for Teresa's rubber-like legs to start to melt, and then her synthetic hair fell victim to the hot lightbulb. My mother intervened before the situation became an actual safety hazard — though instead of a tan, Teresa received an unwanted "haircut" and a damaged limb. She wasn't retired, though. Instead, I had new challenges to overcome when styling her hair and dreaming up her outfits.
That's just it with Barbies — for many, the Mattel dolls offered an outlet to dream big and get creative (hopefully, in most cases, without starting a fire). As the release of the highly anticipated "Barbie" movie directed by Greta Gerwig fast approaches, many OG Barbie Girls have their merch at the ready and are revisiting the memories they created in their own Barbie dreamhouses. And despite star Ryan Gosling's claim that nobody cares about Ken, he was an active part in many of our Barbie worlds — including POPSUGAR's staff.
Keep reading for more fun anecdotes, memories, and photos of their first and/or favourite Barbies from POPSUGAR's editors.