Is Barbie really a Mackem? A look at her links to Sunderland

She's a worldwide phenomenon and ready for even more stardom in a new hit movie.

Barbie is a megastar and she is no stranger to grabbing the news headlines in Sunderland and County Durham - and here's why.

Have a look at all these times when the superstar created Mackem memories.

Is Barbie really a Mackem?

In 1991, Wearside teenager Hayley Foster was bidding to win the finals of a Barbie lookalike competition.

The Moorside girl was up against 50 competitors in London, but who can tell us how she got on?

Look at the smiles on the faces of these excited children in 1997.

They were the winners of a Sunderland Echo Chipper Club competition held in conjunction with Joplings store, and the prize was the latest Barbie doll.

They were all Chipper Club winners

Were you one of the beaming children in the photo?

In 2010, Wearsiders were pulling out all the stops to help others who were far worse off than they were at Christmas

The Echo Toy Appeal got a huge response and Barbie dolls were right up there as the most popular donated gifts.

One couple bought presents all year

A couple of pensioners were the best of a generous bunch. They bought presents all year and donated them to the collection point at Asda Leechmere.

A dream came true for pop fan Katie Fowler in 2011.

The six-year-old from Southwick was a huge fan of the Saturdays.

When she heard the girls had been turned into plastic dolls as part of the The Saturdays Fashionista Barbie Dolls range, she couldn’t wait to get her hands on them.

The Sunderland Barbie story which got 99,000 views

With the help of mum Alyson Stoker, she entered a competition on the back of the Barbie Dolls box which offered one lucky fan the chance to meet the hot girl group in person. And Katie won.

In 2017, we asked Sunderland Echo readers for their memories of one of the most famous toy stores on Wearside.

A staggering 99,000 people saw the social media post and 4,000 responded.

One had memories of 'My nana always taking me there when we went shopping. We’d go to louis for fish and chips then go to Josephs to get some clothes for my Barbies."

And just last year, we asked the followers of our Wearside Echoes nostalgia page: 'Which was the one Christmas present you always wanted but never got?'

Some of you never had your own Barbie

Barbie was way up on the list.

Did you have a Barbie doll and which version did you have? Have you still got it and how long have you kept it?

Share your own Barbie memories by emailing [email protected]