​​​​​​​Behold The Valley of the Dolls

by David James Mansour 

In May 2025, The Washington Post interviewed me for a story in regards to Donald Trump's "2 Dolls for little girls" comment. I grew up reading The Washington Post being from Northern Virginia, so I am extremely honored they selected me to be their Barbie representative. 

​The newspaper sent the amazing photojournist Sandy Huffaker to my San Diego home to photograph me and the Barbie collection. It was a really fun shoot to do and as you can see Sandy's colorful photos illustrated the article. 

​(Click on the newspaper photo above to visit on-line Washington Post story.) 

Above photos courtesy of Sandy Huffaker. 

The words of praise bestowed on me by the fellow Barbie fans on Instagram after The Washington Post story went to press was extremely heartwarming. I am blessed to be part of a wonderfully accepting and supportive doll community from around the world. 

❤️❤️❤️

"A prodigious honor, and you are a most worthy person

to represent our venerable vinyl goddess, Barbie! 🤗"

~ Chuck (@clhdhs)

"This is amazing!!!! So fun! You deserve the shoutout. 💕 Thanks for being a voice in our community! ☮️ “30 dolls”……pfffft. 😂"

~ Sara (@sarasbarbieworld)

"I'm so happy they chose you to represent barbie collectors!! Well deserved!💜💜💜"

~Amy (@greenvixenx)

"David, you have the most wonderful Barbie collection by far💖 What a fun article too. She really got the gist of why we collect dolls: they make us happy. You were a great choice to interview too because you truly understand the art of collecting."

~ Tish (@tishgrier)

"Woo hoo, way to go!! Congratulations, you deserve it because you’re the expert!!"

~ Pauline (@pauline455)

"Beauty abounds. Congratulations and they certainly selected well !!!"

~ M. Lee (@m_lee_mixed_media)

"So deserved!!"

~ Jo (@livingdeadbratz)

"What a great way to validate the love for collecting! Kudos! 😍😍😍"

~ Dennis (@doublesupafantastico)

"I love this for you! 👏 Thanks for sharing your voice."

~ Kathleen (@kho2012)

"Awesome article! You never cease to maze me! Keep going. Cannot wait for the Barbie Book!!"

~ Michael (@morgan2977)

​

“It’s fun to have people come over, and I get to show them. I feel like a curator from a museum. I get to explain: ‘This is the Peaches and Cream Barbie. Oh, here’s the Barbie and the Rockers that were my first dolls.’” 

~ David Mansour, The Washington Post