HAZLETON - Diane McCann's family threw her a Barbie-themed birthday party last weekend, complete with a Barbie cake and decorations in pink and black.

She even got two Barbie dolls for her birthday - a special anniversary doll in a gold dress and a replica of the first Barbie ever made.

"I always wanted to look like her," McCann said of the iconic doll.

But she won't be brushing her latest doll's hair or acting out scenes with her friends. McCann, of Hazleton, just turned 50 - the same age as Barbie, who was made in 1959. The two newest additions will stay in their packaging and be placed in the basement next to her 187 other Barbies.

"That's something that's never going to stop," McCann said.

She started collecting in the early 1990s with Snow Princess Barbie, a doll in a white formal dress with crystals adorning the fabric. At that time, McCann didn't know she would start a collection.

"I thought she was just so pretty, this is it," she said.

As time went on, McCann would pick up other collectible Barbies on her travels and at the local Target and Toys R Us store. Friends and family got into the act, too, giving her dolls for birthday and Christmas gifts.

Mattel Inc. estimates there are more than 100,000 serious Barbie collectors around the world, most of them women older than 40 who can spend $1,000 or more on Barbies each year.

McCann tries to limit herself to no more than $75 per doll but admits she breaks that rule.

"It kind of got to be a bad habit - an expensive habit," she said.

Growing up in Oelwein, McCann and her sister were given one Skipper doll each in the 1960s. McCann said she loved playing with any kind of doll, but Barbie was her favorite.

"Our parents didn't have a lot of money," she said. "We just cherished what we had."

She still has the same Skipper, who is the only Barbie in the collection out of the packaging and upstairs.

McCann's favorite memory of Barbie was when she was able to contribute a 1995 Holiday Barbie to a fundraiser for her sister, diagnosed with cancer in 2000. The doll, a rare collectible, sold for $125.

With 189 dolls in the collection, McCann has no plans to stop now.

"It beats salt and pepper shakers," she said.

Contact Amie Steffen at (319) 291-1464 or amie.steffen@wcfcourier.com.