Singaporean Man Collects Barbie Dolls
Jian Yang, a 33-year-old Singaporean man, has a collection of more than 6,000 Barbie dolls and 3,000 dolls of other kinds.
Yang has a professional interest in toys and consumer trends as director of strategy at Omicom Media Group. But his Barbie collection began at age 13 when he bought the "Great Shape" model in a turquoise Spandex gym outfit and striped leg warmers.
"Before I knew anything about social norms, I was a boy that watched this on TV, liked it and wasn't allowed to have one," he said. "As I grew older, got my own allowance, that's where I started getting the freedom to buy whatever I wanted."
His boyhood interest turned into a "crazy obsession" that his friends support and his family has come to accept. (Reuters)
