Move over Barbie .... fans gather to celebrate 60 years of cousin Sindy 'the girl next door'

The new Barbie movie may have made half a billion dollars since its release - but for many there was only one true doll in our childhoods - and that was Sindy.

Barbie's British counterpart is 60 years old this year, and at a doll convention in Lincoln fans were given hope of a relaunch.

Thirteen years ago 'Dollycon' was a dozen doll enthusiasts in a church. This year 150 gathered in a conference centre in Lincoln with another 100 on a waiting list.

A thriving community of collectors and sellers came from far and wide, many with a shared passion for all things Sindy, with one man saying: "Being a lad it wasn't really something I could have but of course now I can make my own decisions as an adult, well it didn't end at one, did it, I've now got about 150".

At her peak, Sindy had 80 per cent of the UK's fashion doll market. Now its all about Barbie, Sindy's American cousin, who has just made her big screen debut and a big impact at the box office.

Head of the company that owns the Sindy brand told collectors at Dollycon that they're working on ways to give her a wider retail reach, welcome news for fans with a special place in their hearts for Sindy.

Dollycon organiser Melanie Quint sums up the doll's appeal: "She was just the girl next door, you know she wasn't private jet Sindy, she was pony and ballet Sindy, she was aspirational but not out of reach where Barbie is like ooh, you've got to have a lot of money to be a Barbie."

So it may be a Barbie world but in Lincoln they believe its time for Sindy to make a comeback.

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