Hi Barbie! Hi Ken!

Anette von der Heide was born in 1958 in Schwerte and lives in Berlin nowadays. Her Barbie and Ken dolls originate from various decades and different yard sales. She has been interested in Barbie dolls and fashion since she was a little girl, “I did not have an original Barbie at that time and the clothes had to be made by myself." She had purposefully collected fashion toys and enacted stories with them for 15 years. “I build temporary dioramas, take pictures of the dolls and take good stories to turn them into photo albums with speech bubbles." When she, together with her partner, established the studio “Chica B., it was still unclear if the WC 2014 will turn into a good story.

Earlier on, I bought a lot of Mini-Kit jerseys that fit the Ken-Dolls at a junk shop in Steglitz. Every doll had a fitting jersey for a team photo. Thus, a few dolls were already existent, other dolls, like the Revell brand football miniatures from 2006 were bought on ebay by her and added to the collection during the WC 2006.

The highlight for the finale was the purchase of a doll to stand in as the chancellor - with adjustable arms for the ’Merkel-diamond’. “Her black-red-and-gold suit had to be sown quickly in order to outfit her for the final picture,” Anette remembers.

Other ‘performers’ include the presenter Chica Barbie with a flag-patterned mini dress, a Brazilian, also with a flag-patterned mini dress, a fan doll, a female football player and a defeated Argentinian.

The Barbies' and Ken's are located in a shrine in the Lütke Eck.

Text: Daniela Berglehn
Translation: Matthias Fabry