Who was born in 1959, hails from Willow, Wis., attended Willows High School, and has more than a billion pairs of shoes? Why, America's sweetheart, of course. No, no, not Shirley Temple! After all, she grew up and put on weight. We're talking about Barbie, the perpetually young, pug-nosed, slanted-foot wonder sold in more than 140 countries around the world. Not all of those buyers are younger than the age of 10, either. The Web is fairly brimming with sites for and about serious Barbie collectors. Let's take a look ... Amateur Collectors Eileen's Barbie page has frequently updated info on the collecting of vintage Barbies. Eileen's Dress Up Barbie game is a riot; other notable features include a book list with 10 or so illustrated books on the proper identification and valuation of vintage Barbies for you print junkies. Here, too, you can find out how to join the Barbie Collectors' Web ring. Mad About That Barbie Doll! hosts the Barbie Doll Newsflash, with cutting-edge facts for collectors on the latest decisions by Mattel and where to find those hard-to-find Barbies at good prices. Barbie trivia includes such tidbits as Ken's full name (Kenneth Carson) and the real people for whom Ken and Barbie were named (the children of Mattel founders Ruth and Elliott Handler). View one collector's 1998 collection, or go to Barbie Doll Shopping to find Barbies, old and new, for sale by collectors. Price and condition details make shopping a breeze. The Official Site Mattel's official site, Barbie.com, is a treasure trove of authorized information for collectors. This is the place for news on the 1998 Barbie Doll Convention and the Official Barbie Collectors' Club. In addition, a set of collector guides includes a family tree and collecting tips and glossary, which will tell you how much your 1959 NRFB (Never Removed From Box) vintage Barbie can fetch on the open market ($5,000) and Barbie's full name (Barbie Millicent Roberts). The Mattel site also features photos of historic Barbie collections in their entirety. You'll find Dolls of the World, the Couture Collection, the Jewel Essence Collection, the Artist Series, and the Vintage Reproductions Series represented here in their full pastel glory. Where Did it All Start? How Do I Start? Raven's one-page Origins of Barbie traces the doll's beginnings all the way back to Germany, where she was a blonde, was sold to adult males, and went by the name "Lili." Mattel started manufacturing Lili as a brunette to complement its line of action toys for boys, renamed her "Barbie," started marketing her to little girls despite protests from mothers, and ... well, you know the rest. Want to start your own collection ? Welcome to the World of Toys (a.k.a. the FAO Schwarz Barbie Boutiques), where you'll find an interactive gumshoe game and trivia, such as the fact that two Barbies are sold somewhere in the world every second. To become part of that statistic the easy way, browse and buy one of the brand-new Barbies licensed exclusively to the store. Among the unbelievable varieties available (some in African-American versions as well as Caucasian) are the Phantom of the Opera gift set, Barbie and Ken masquerading as Scully and Mulder from The X-Files, an Erica Kane (you know, from All My Children) Barbie, and even a Barbie cross-dressed as George Washington.