AUSTIN, Texas — Jenell Howell has hundreds of dolls in her collection. They take up the living room, dining room, and almost every nook and cranny in her home.

Her collection started taking shape after some family members gave her a couple of dolls.

“My grandmother and great aunt’s dolls. I was shown the dolls when I was 12. When I was in my 20s. They let me take them home,” said Howell.

She turned in to serious collector about 35 years ago when she saw what’s called an art doll at an event she was attending.

“And I just went, ‘Oh!’ I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so that’s when I started to collect that [art doll], and it just broke a dam, I guess,” Howell said.  

Howell has a doll from the late 1800s, some from the 1990s and one very special doll—an original first edition Barbie.

“I was fortunate enough to get her from the original owner who lived in Japan,” said Howell.

In addition to the hundreds of dolls she already owns, Howell is also experimenting with 3D printed dolls. It takes about 15 hours to print all the parts, and then she puts them together to make a doll.

“It’s just a creative outlet. It’s truly taking something and making it my own,” she said.

Howell has so many dolls she’s now downsizing her collection. She plans to keep those that have special meaning, including the first edition Barbie, which isn’t going anywhere.

“I have some beautiful dolls and they make me happy, so I don’t need more,” said Howell.