It's not every day you meet a 39-year-old woman with the body of a 20-year-old, so I was willing to wait my turn. Barbie, the Dorian Gray of the toy box, was besieged by a gaggle of adoring fans desperate to meet their plastic heroine, for once, in the flesh.

The object of their desire was sat on a black chair in Dentons Cycles and Toys in High Street, Witney, where she dropped in to meet her fans at a rare public appearance.

All that could be seen from where I was standing among the Action Men was the top of a blonde coiffure and an occasional glimpse of tanned forehead.

It would have been churlish to try to talk to her while her under-tens army was clamouring for her attention, so I bided my time, waiting for the, ahem, Barbie-queue to die down.

Barbie is the world's best-selling fashion doll. One billion dolls - be it Barbie herself, or her friends, or boyfriend Ken - have been snapped up across the globe.

Made by Mattel, Barbie burst onto the toy scene in 1959 and, on the evidence of Witney at least, her appeal has not diminished.

An hour into her visit I finally got the chance to talk to her. Barbie had been signing autographs - she is left-handed, by the way - scribbling on a photocopied sheet of a picture of her and Ken. When there was no-one else who wanted one, it was time for us to chat. Barbie was wearing a green dress, long pink gloves and shiny shoes. Her hair is more golden in real life.

I was a little nervous. This was, after all, a woman who has trounced the Transformers, nobbled the Ninja Turtles and seen off Sindy. She may have a nice smile but there's steel behind the plastic. It was soon clear that, although she broke her usual silence, Barbie prefers to remain tight-lipped.

My first question was how she manages to stay so young and her answer was breathtakingly simple.

"I enjoy life, I do lots of horse-riding and keep fit," she said. No mention of plastic surgery. Nothing. A glance at a toy shop shelf shows that, apart from possessing a huge wardrobe of clothes, Barbie rides a moped, drives a Porsche and is also, apparently, a qualified dentist. Ken, not to be outdone, is a doctor.

So how does she manage to squeeze everything in and, speaking of Ken, where is he?

"I have a very active life," Barbie admitted.

"I am very, very busy. This morning I went to Didcot for an appearance at Dentons, which I managed to fit in because it was a special request. Ken is at home preparing a barbecue. I'm going to that later."

Further questions, regrettably, were rebuffed, including her thoughts on THAT song. Finally, I wondered, what was the secret of her success? "Changing with the times, I suppose."

And, presumably, not giving anything away to nosey journalists...

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Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.