"Barbie" premiered in Estonia last weekend and broke box office records in the process, while interest is by no means confined to those who might traditionally have been associated with the toy itself.

Kristjan Hirmo, a presenter on commercial radio station Sky Plus, appeared on ETV magazine show "Ringvaade. Suvel" earlier in the week, to talk about his Barbie collection.

Hirmo mainly focuses on special-edition Barbies, and the selection he brought to the "Ringvaade" studio included representations of performers Elton John and the late Tina Turner, as well as one of the late Queen Elizabeth II (see picture).

He started collecting in 2020, initially drawn to the Elton John curio, then opted to continue.

While Hirmo says he can't put a precise figure on how many dolls he has amassed, he estimates that the purchase value combined will be in the thousands of euros.

"I didn't buy these dolls with the specific intention of keeping them for 20 years and then selling them. I think it's just a nice, fun hobby to do from time to time," he went on.

Nonetheless, Tina Turner Barbies are already going for around US$200 on ebay, Hirmo noted.

As a collectible, the dolls are not the best choice in the world, he joked, particularly if the idea is to keep them boxed, not only in the manufacturers' box but in a sturdier container also, and in mint condition.

"There are storage costs involved. You have to have some location to store all these boxes. In effect I 'sacrificed' these dolls I brought to the show today, and took them out of the shipping boxes, whereas actually I usually store them in a cool, dark place and don't unbox them whatsoever," Hirmo added.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!