Water-skiing fanatic Sara Reader is a real-life Barbie girl - and she's got the gear to prove it.

Sara, of Howbery Farm, Crowmarsh, wears a bright pink wetsuit with the famous blonde doll's logo on it when she takes part in her sporting events.

But the 30-year-old - sponsored by her employer, toy company Mattel UK, which markets Barbie in the UK - is actually a brunette.

She said: "To be honest, I don't really look like Barbie. I've got short dark hair, not blonde peroxide hair.

"I'm 5ft 10in, which is fairly tall, but I haven't got anywhere near her figure.

"I would certainly draw the line at wearing a long, blonde Barbie wig. It wouldn't last a second if I was water-skiing. It would fall off pretty fast."

Needless to say, as a result of her distinctive outfit, she is the victim of the occasional jibe.

"There are a lot of smiles, a lot of sniggers and a lot of wisecracks when people see me wearing it," said Sara.

"People laugh at it a lot. I get, 'Where's Ken?' and 'Has Ken got a suit?'."

Sara, who swears she has not got a copy of Aqua's hit single Barbie Girl and is too busy for a Ken of her own, first wore her unusual wetsuit in May.

The talented athlete, who has two collectors' Barbies in boxes in her loft, takes part in water-skiing events in Divisions Two and Three of the British Water-Skiing Federation's League, having recently finished top of Division Four - in her suit.

She is a member of the Denham Water-Ski Club in Buckinghamshire and regularly dons her suit in tournaments across the country, including slaloms. Sara also hopes to improve on her 32nd place in the UK slalom rankings. "It was my idea to wear the wetsuit," said Sara, a national account manager at Mattel, based in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

"I suggested it to the marketing team at the beginning of this year as a way of promoting the brand."

Mattel has produced a snow-skiing Barbie, figure-skating Barbie, downhill-skiing Barbie and even an in-line skating Barbie - but not a water-skiing one.

A spokesman for Mattel said: "We think this is a good way of promoting Barbie dolls. The pink suit isn't exactly subtle. It stands out a bit.

"We haven't got any plans to introduce a water-skiing Barbie - not at the moment."

Sara is the only sportswoman in the country to wear the Barbie logo as part of a sponsorship deal. Mattel's only other sports sponsorship is for a rally driver, who promotes its Hot Wheels toy cars on his vehicle. Things you never knew

Barbie is the best-selling toy in the world and is sold in 150 countries.

The first Barbie went on sale for three dollars in New York in 1959.

Barbie varieties have included an astronaut, vet, Unicef ambassador, reporter, Presidential candidate and - most recently - dentist.

Barbie was created after Elliot and Ruth Handler, the founders of manufacturer Mattel, spotted their daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls.

Barbie's boyfriend Ken was launched in 1961.

Two Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world every second.

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