As a child, playing with Barbies inspired her to know that she could be anything she wanted to be. Years later, they have inspired her to open a museum dedicated to the iconic dolls.
Lourdes Uranday plans an October opening for the Be Anything Museum (BAM!) in downtown Modesto.
The name is a riff on a slogan by toymaker Mattel, “You Can Be Anything,” for its line of Barbie dolls.
Uranday said she got her motivation to be anything playing with Barbies while growing up in Visalia. She was a farm worker and was the first in her family to go to college, attending Fresno State. She has a master’s degree in business administration.
“I was always motivated to do whatever I wanted,” said Uranday, who has lived in Modesto for 16 years. “Being the youngest of four girls in my family, I always got the dolls (handed down). I got a lot of Barbies and I enjoyed playing with them at the time and (have) enjoyed collecting them as an adult.”
That collection will be on display at the new museum and features more than 350 dolls that span several decades.