Stories and editing by T. Foster Jones and Stephanie E. Ponder

The number of responses the Connection received was staggering. Here's a look at a few of the submissions.

Elizabeth Kondruss of Stittsville, Ontario, fell under Barbie's spell at the age of 9, when she subsequently took on two paper routes to buy a Live Action Barbie. Her love of the iconic toy has only grown.

Kondruss explains that she comes from an artistic family, and that she would make clothing for herself and then make outfits for her Barbies from the fabric scraps.

As Kondruss says, "I never drank or smoked; I just collected Barbie items." Over the years, her collection has grown to more than 25,000 pieces that include dolls, clothing, furniture and more.

Currently, around 7,000 items from Kondruss' collection are on display at the Barbie Museum that is part of Stittsville's Carp Road Flea Market. Her goal is to display her entire collection—in the correct timeline—when she retires, and to have a workshop where she can sort through items and focus on restoration.