Ganguro - Warning. I am not insane!

I read an article recently in a free health magazine that gets delivered to me in the post about a Japanese fashion craze called Ganguro. The word means "black face" in Japanese. Apparently the idea is to create a "California" look. They want to look young and healthy. They do this by going to deep tanning salons, bleaching their hair blonde and wearing blue contact lenses. The photo of the young Japanese woman that accompanied the article reminded me of a two dollar Barbie, the type that comes in a cheap show bag from the Ekka or from one of those two dollar stores. You know the type that has hollow unbending legs and arms, thinning hair and a face that looks like the mould had some strange air bubbles in it when they poured the plastic in. This article and the accompanying photo reminded me of the time my brother and I sent some two dollar Barbies on a murderous rampage. I was young (around 21) and my brother was young too (only about 17). We didn't know any better. This was in the late eighties, early nineties, and a real life serial killer was on the loose. He had been dubbed the Loganholme Killer. He preyed on young women in the Loganholme area and murdered them after having his way with them. Or something like that anyway. Well, my brother was going to the Ekka and asked me did I want him to bring me home anything. I told him I'd love a Barbie bag but I only had $3 so I gave it to him and told him to get what he could with that. He came home with a $2 Barbie bag that was packed with all kinds of goodies. Two Barbies, a spare set of clothes and an assortment of extra wigs so they could change their appearance with just a flick of hair.

As we pulled the Barbies from the plastic bag and the two of us "eeed" and "awwed" and redressed them as you often do when you're all grown up but still fascinated by Barbie. We somehow got around to talking about Barbie's relationship with Ken. I'm not sure how the rest of it started but in an afternoon we turned two dollar caucasian Barbie into a lesbian bikie who was actually married to Ken but was having an affair with Katie Black Doll. Katie Black Doll, in a jealous fit of rage over Barbie's decision to stay with Ken instead of running off into the sunset with her, stabbed poor Barbie to death with a dress pin and then hung herself. Ken, naturally distraught over the death of his wife became an desperate alcoholic. He couldn't face life without her. He blamed all Barbies for the fact that he had lost his one true love. The only thing he could do to avenge her death was to murder all Barbies who in any way resembled Katie Black Doll. He went on a murderous rampage. He chopped all the Barbies he could find into small pieces, covered them in tomato sauce and stored them in chinese take away food containers in the freezer.

They stayed there undetected for years. Ken, the Loganholme killer may never have been caught if it hadn't been for our father who came across the mutilated Barbies in the freezer.

I realise this all sounds crazy and stupid and it was but it provided us with hours, even days of entertainment. My sister eventually got in on it and she was responsible for changing Ken's appearance so he would never be found by the authorities. She gave him a beard and some tough tattoos with a permanent marker pen.

We were young. We were stupid. We were funny.....we thought so at least.

I even have photos!
Katie Black Doll stabbing Two Dollar Barbie as he lay sleeping with Ken

Ken surveying the damage, shaking his head in horror as Katie Black Doll walks away

Katie Black Doll dead. She killed herself. Beside her is the autopsy notes.


PS Grandma Mary and Grandpa Richard should forgive me for being so silly. I'm WAY grown up now and would never commit Barbie murder again. Maya laughed for hours after I told her about this so I guess it can't be that bad.