Haven’t had enough of the colour pink? You can visit a ‘Barbie’ museum in Ottawa

Elizabeth Kondruss has over 3,000 Barbie collectibles. Dolls, cars, houses -- some over six decades old - are all on display in her Ottawa-based Barbie museum.

You might be seeing a lot more pink than usual due to the Barbie movie release, but one Ottawa-based collector has been running a business out of the toy franchise for decades.

Elizabeth Kondruss has over 3,000 Barbie collectibles for viewing. Dolls, cars, houses — some over six decades old — are all on display in her Ottawa-based Barbie museum.

Kondruss got her first Barbie doll from her parents at nine years old, in 1965. It was Barbie’s now discontinued little sister, Tutti, who can be found in the museum. Kondruss began collecting toys from the franchise since then, and officially opened the museum at Stittsville’s Carp Road Flea Market in 1996.

“It’s been huge since 2021,” she told Global News in an interview.

For Kondruss, Barbie is more than a toy or movie. The doll represents a part of history.

“If you look through the ages of Barbie, it’s what we wore, it’s the sign of the times,” Kondruss said.

Kondruss says she often has visitors come into her museum not because they’re fans of Barbie, but because of the historical value of the collection.

Kondruss went to see Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie on Thursday — opening night. She says the film was “fantastic.”