For years, Water Lily Barbie lived in her original packaging in my bedroom, then in my mom’s basement in storage. My dad used to call her Claude Monet In A Box, and the name has stuck all these years. Even yesterday, when I went to get her from the basement, I told my mother I was going down to find Claude Monet In A Box.

She was always my mom’s favorite of my dolls. I started opening the box, and told her, “My favorite part of opening these finally after 20 years, after finally defying dad, is seeing what kind of shoes they’re all wearing!” My mom’s eyes went wide, she held out her hand and said, “give me 30 seconds!”, dumped the watering can in her other hand into a plant across the house and then ran back to sit next to me. She helped me take off the strings holding the dress into box shape and we peeked under to find her shoes after 20 years for the first time. :)

And then Claude Monet In A Box wasn’t anymore.

She’s now got a place with other recent graduates of the 20 Year Box Club.

Now we just call her Claude.