Jian Yang, a 44-year-old Singaporean man, has an extraordinary collection of over 12,000 Barbie dolls. Rather than just keeping them hidden away, he enjoys taking his dolls out to events and shares photos of them on his Instagram account. Yang explained, “Actually, I’m still a toy collector. It just happens to be a lot of Barbies.”
If you’re in Singapore and you happen to come across a man in a restaurant photographing his Barbie doll, don’t be surprised. You’ve likely met Jian Yang, the proud owner of one of the world’s largest Barbie doll collections. Yang brings his dolls along to various events and matches each doll to the occasion. For example, if he goes to a Japanese restaurant, he’ll bring a Japanese Barbie.
This 44-year-old advertising professional graciously gave Insider a tour of his home, where he houses a fraction of his vast collection. The rest of the dolls are stored in his parents’ house, storage units, and his office. While he couldn’t give an exact count of how many dolls he’s bought over the years, he stopped counting long ago. The dolls displayed in his home are just a glimpse of his extensive collection.
Despite his substantial collection, Yang doesn’t consider himself addicted to collecting Barbies. He believes addiction implies difficulty giving something up, whereas he could easily decide to stop collecting if he wanted to. In fact, when he lived in the Middle East for a few years, he took a break from collecting and focused more on branded clothing. As a result, he has a gap in his collection from 2007 to 2011.
Yang’s fascination with Barbie began in 1984 when he started playing with his sister’s doll. Barbie became part of his toy collection, and he would play with her alongside his action figures. As he grew older, his interest in fashion developed, leading him to appreciate Barbie even more. He began buying dolls, such as DKNY and Calvin Klein Barbies, as well as dolls inspired by iconic figures like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.
For Yang, adding dolls to his collection isn’t about strict rules but rather the unique experiences each doll offers. He sees collecting as a personality-based endeavor, where the doll’s investment value, beauty, and material uniqueness are all factors to consider. Yang values the experiences his dolls bring, such as showcasing them on Instagram and meeting interesting people at events because of them. He recalled a memorable trip to India where he brought his India-themed Barbie dolls and received attention from strangers who were intrigued by his unique photoshoots.
Being a male Barbie doll collector does raise some eyebrows and invites occasional gibs and comments. However, Yang takes it all in stride and humorously dismisses any assumptions made about him as a person. The release of the “Barbie” movie has only brought more attention to him and his collection, resulting in numerous interview requests and messages from strangers trying to sell him their dolls. Yang, however, is uninterested in these offers and just wants to enjoy his collection for what it is—a part of his larger toy collection, which also includes Lego, Transformers, My Little Pony, Polly Pocket, and Rainbow High dolls. In his words, “Actually, I’m a toy collector. There just happens to be a lot of Barbies.”
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