CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Florence Marton has made Hawaiian outfits for many of the Barbie dolls in her collection of 5,000.
Barbie on
the brainA Hawaii woman keeps
a huge collection of the
dolls that define girlhood
People from all over the world flock to see Florence Marton's collection, which is about neither art nor Hawaiian history, but is certainly original.
The museum, known as "Hawaii Loves Barbie Dolls," was created in her expanded garage in 1986 after Marton won a National Enquirer contest seeking the person who owned the most Barbie dolls. She beat 462 other contenders, and Barbie fans started calling local radio stations trying to find her. To date, she has more than 5,000 versions of the icon of American girlhood.
"This is my creation and it helps me relax," says Marton, who dresses her dolls in costumes she creates from an array of materials, from aloha prints to tapa cloth.
Her garments include muumuus, holoku, grass skirts and hula kahiko costumes. Other fashionable creations are formed from scarves or ribbons wound around the doll's body and tied at the waistline. One doll even sports a colorful Carmen Miranda-style outfit.
Among the dolls on display is the original Barbie that entered the marketplace and the national consciousness in 1959. Tutti and Todd dolls, twins related to Barbie but made in Germany, can also be viewed. "They have wire in their hands, so they are not sold in America. ... They are dangerous for the children," she said.
"It's like a walk down memory lane," said Marton. "People get so happy when they see the dolls that they played with when they were young."
And the museum does preserve a particular history. Barbie's transformation over the years is evident in her face and costumes, from her ladylike and sophisticated roots, through the mod era of eyeliner and miniskirts and California beach bunny Malibu days, on to disco and superstar Barbie, to the independent hipster we see today. Marton even lives with a few 6-foot Barbie dolls. Several dolls are limited editions purchased at conventions and not available to the general public.
Many of the dolls are labeled with dates and information about the doll, special edition or costume designer.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Among the Barbies displayed in the "Hawaii Loves Barbie Dolls" museum are many that Marton has glamorized with ribbons and scarves.
MARTON DIDN'T start out as a Barbie fanatic. "When my daughter was about 5 years old, I started buying her Barbie," she said. "When she went away to college, she left me with all of her dolls."
There were about 900 at the time, and they reminded her of her daughter, so she couldn't get rid of them.
Instead, she kept adding to the collection, spending as much as $10,000 in one year to fill in gaps. "I stopped buying dolls now," she said. "Instead, last year I was able to buy a studio in Waikiki," she laughed.
Since opening her doors to the public in 1986, visitors from 39 states and 19 countries -- from Germany, Africa and Israel -- have wandered through the aisles admiring Marton's collection. "I meet people from all over the world," she said. "People tell me that this is the first Barbie museum that they have ever seen."
Most of the traffic comes from Japan. "They can't find the dolls in the store, only in magazines. They are so happy to see them displayed out of the box. It doesn't look so good in the magazine."
Marton even set up a small Polynesian display that has Barbie and Ken dolls donned in the costumes of old Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga. All the clothing and hula implements are Marton's creations. Intricate accessories include tiny shell necklaces, floral and kukui nut leis and raffia headdresses.
Raised in the Philippines, Marton has acquired quite an extensive collection of dolls to represent her ethnic heritage. The Filipina dolls wear elaborate costumes or beaded costumes to represent farmers. "The ones in the gowns represent the high-class ladies from Manila," she said.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
This dress made of aluminum foil was a 1970s creation.
Marton keeps other dolls as well, including those bearing the likeness of Dennis Rodman, Colin Powell, Bob Hope and John F. Kennedy.
During tours of the collection, Marton offers tidbits of Barbie history, noting that Barbie and Ken were sister and brother "in real life," the son and daughter of Ruth and Elliot Handler, who had partnered with Harold Mattson to form Mattel, the business venture that evolved into a corporate giant.
She always thought of the dolls as brother and sister, so Marton says she wasn't devastated by the news of Barbie and Ken's recent "break-up." In fact, she's relieved.
"I always thought of Ken as her escort because she needed a prom date," said Marton. "They couldn't stay together forever. Now that Ken is out of the picture, Barbie can get married."
Another controversy arose with "Teen Talk Barbie," who also graces her shelf. "Lots of women didn't like her," she said, because the doll said things like, "Math is tough," and "Will we ever have enough clothes?" that cast young women as airheads.
Feminists arguments against the doll persist, but Barbie has not only prospered, but spawned a number of street-smart, urban imitators.
But Marton's sticking by Barbie's side. Surprisingly, she collects no admission for her exhibit and tours. People need only call for an appointment. "My intention is not to get rich. I just like to make people happy," she said. "I want to have more friends and give aloha."
Marton's museum is in Kailua. For a viewing appointment, call 262-9138 or 330-8912. She also sells her Hawaiian-style Barbie clothing at Pacific Beach Hotel's craft fair, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Six-foot-tall Ken and Barbie mannequins were created in celebration of Barbie's 25th birthday. Florence Marton paid $495 each for them and displays them in her expanded garage.
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