Mexican Surgeon Has a Collection of 200 Barbies in His ‘Barbieteca’ at Home

Surgeon Paul Sebastian Juarez Velasquez from Puebla, Mexico might operate on people at the hospital daily, but his all-time hobby is worlds apart from his career. Dr. Juarez Velasquez has an impressive collection of more than 200 Barbies in a custom “Barbieteca” inside his home. He calls it his “happy place.”

The proud collector explained to mitú that he owns 203 Barbies, all housed in their very own room in his home. “When I have a bad day at the hospital, there’s nothing that comforts me more than going in my Barbieteca, the room for my Barbies, and relax.”

As he put it, his fun ritual includes “playing music, fixing [the Barbies], dusting them, and organizing them.”

While some of his Barbies stay inside their boxes, others don’t— one thing they have in common, though? “All of them have had a ‘spa day’ at least once.” Ah, to be a collector’s edition Barbie.

For Dr. Juarez Velasquez, Barbie is much more than just a doll, symbolizing a breath of fresh air and fantasy. “For me, the Barbie brand symbolizes fun; it’s a respite from the stress of daily life, it makes me feel good.”

And while the collector didn’t get the chance to have a Barbie until 11 years old, it took a near-fatal event in his life to make it happen.

Juarez Velasquez received his first Barbie at 11 years old after “almost dying” of cholera

The surgeon described to mitú how he always wanted a Barbie as a young child, but sadly was not allowed one. “As a child, I always wanted a [Barbie] but during that time, it was frowned upon and I could never have one.”

He also recalled the very first moment he felt the Barbie spark— and what might have led to his passion for the Mattel doll later in life.

“I have a memory of when I was 5 or 6 years old, I was in kindergarten, of a dollhouse in the home of one of my mother’s friends,” he remembered. “I would see all the little things it had, and how beautiful the dolls were.”

“From that moment, I always wanted one.”

However, it took a terrifying incident in his life to pave the way for his very first Barbie— which he still counts as “his favorite.”

“At 11 years old, I got cholera and I almost died,” he explained. “While I was in pain, one of the things I regretted not doing was not having a Barbie if I always wanted one.”

Thankfully, Dr. Juarez Velasquez recovered, and got the chance to make his dream come true. “I left the hospital, and Christmas of that year, Santa Claus brought me my favorite Barbie: The Pink Collection #1.” The name he gave his very first Barbie acquisition? “Peach.”

While he owns 203 Barbies, and his favorite is still “Peach,” he has soft-spots for a few other dolls, too. Namely, the rare, high-fashion collaboration Barbies in his collection, which can run up to hundreds of dollars.

“Definitely my favorites are the designer Barbies like the Dior, Oscar De La Renta, Tim Gunn, and Robert Best ones.”

Today, the surgeon combines his love for his Barbie collection with his passion for medicine

Dr. Juarez Velasquez also spoke to us a bit more of his “day job”— a hardworking surgeon in Puebla.

“I am a medical surgeon, I studied in the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla and in the Mexican Social Security Institute. I have worked for three years here in Puebla.”

Interestingly, the surgeon has brought together both of his passions: working in medicine and his Barbie collection. How? Well, bringing in a bit of immaculate Barbie vibes to the hospital.

He explained, “Every day, a different Barbie accompanies me to the office. The Barbie that comes with me gets a spa day, I fix her hair, if she comes in a box, I dust her.”

“If the Barbie’s clothes are dirty with dust, I change the clothes to wash them at night, and that’s how I exhibit them at work.” Plus, while he doesn’t have any patients, the doctor loves taking pictures of them from their display at the hospital.

Apart from his co-workers, the doctor’s friends and family also wholeheartedly support his Barbie collection. Dr. Juarez Velasquez’s “Barbieteca” is more than just a hobby, and his circle lovingly “applauds” him for it.

“Since they found out, I haven’t received anything more than support and applause,” he described. “They have gifted me Barbies, clothing, and shoes for the collection.”

“They make me feel loved and are proud of what I have accomplished,” the surgeon explained.

As you can expect, the collector already saw the “Barbie” movie… and loved it

When asked about machismo culture and how society may view young boys for liking Barbies or the color pink, Dr. Juarez Velasquez said those views are “very antiquated.”

“Toys don’t have a gender, they are toys! Their job is to stimulate our imagination and make us happy,” he asserted.

“We are in 2023 already, those ideas of colors representing gender roles and sexual preferences are very antiquated.”

And yes, of course, we had to ask him what he thinks of the new “Barbie” movie… and the fuchsia wave that has been all over TikTok, billboards, and all those merch collaborations.

About the movie? Well, the collector absolutely loved it. “A true work of art. A carrousel of emotions. There were moments I would literally go from laughing to crying.” Same!

He also described how the film is even more for adults than it is for your inner child. “I thought it would be a movie for my 5-year-old self that never had a Barbie, but it was a movie for me as an adult facing the crudeness of reality and current society.”

For the surgeon, the film symbolized that while “not everything in life is rosy pink,” you always must “find those little details and moments that make you happy again.”

Plus, “Making small changes, even if they seem insignificant, help all of us in society become better.”

And that Barbie-pink wave that continues to be all over our timelines? There could be nothing better for a Barbie collector.

“It was definitely a pink fantasy seeing Barbie everywhere, hasta en la sopa,” he described. “It was incredible, just like Christmas for those of us that love Barbie.”

So, what’s next for the surgeon-slash-Barbie-connoisseur? Hopefully, (at least!) one more rare doll to add to his collection.

“The Barbie Enchanted Mermaid from the Mythical Muse collection is the queen of the mermaids and is the only one I need to complete the series.”