back on june 5th, mattel launched a special event and exhibit along with the the statue of liberty - ellis island foundation celebrating the 30th anniversary of barbie dolls of the world collection. ninimomo had received an invite but we were so swamped with convention prep, we missed out. fortunately, katie phillips of mattel invited us to another special function held on august 6th on liberty island. this one we didn't want to miss! and how glad we were to make it to liberty island.

the liberty island event was really cool! it was a perfect manhattan day and the event was held outdoors in a circular plaza. katie gave a wonderful speech amidst a sea of onlookers. after the speech, several models came out, each representing a particular doll of the world, including the three new landmark barbies: big ben, eiffel tower and of course, stature of liberty. everyone had a chance to take photos with the barbie models and it was really cute to see all the kids flipping out over them, well, us adults were also flipping out too.

once the liberty island event was finished, we hopped onto the ferry and took a quick ride over to ellis island to see the barbie dolls of the world museum exhibit. as a new yorker, both of us had never been on ellis island, sad but true, and luckily barbie got us there.

we had the honor of meeting peg zitko, vice-president of public affairs for the statue of liberty - ellis island foundation, and the rare opportunity to learn, first hand, more about both islands, particularly ellis and its history. ellis island is a remarkable place and a most important landmark in this country's history. i definitely recommend a long visit to ellis island when visiting new york city. from the impressive architecture, gorgeous grounds and laborious restoration to the many information filled rooms - there's a lot to learn and see here. the great hall on the 2nd floor is not to be missed! i'm planning on going back after the summer season to do some research on my family. it genuinely is an inspiring and emotional experience.

the barbie dolls of the world show was breathtaking and exhibited gorgeously throughout the area with each doll having her own display filled with fun facts and information. this was not to be missed by any barbie collector. for ninimomo, it was the dolls of the world that inspired us when we began creating our one-of-a-kinds. for us, we were kids in a candy shop - really overwhelming.

the event was a completely ingenious idea and not only was it a celebration of barbie and the many ethnicities she has taken on, but also a reminder of what lady liberty and ellis island means to all of us as americans. for adult collectors, its an amazing way to celebrate collecting and for kids, a truly astounding tool to learn not only about the history of our country but to learn, appreciate and respect the many faces that make up this world. katie is definitely our queen of the world for putting together such an experience and for making the world a much smaller place!