Mattapoisett Barbie Garden: The End of an Era

For nearly 30 years, one Mattapoisett's woman unique perspective of the world was expressed through the strange collection of dolls that she assembled each summer in the front of her home.

Now that she is no longer with us, the dolls may be gone, but memories of one of the SouthCoast's oddest attractions remain.

Nestled on the corner of Church and North Streets was the home of the famous Barbie Garden that would faithfully bloom into a strange but rather interesting display of dolls every year.

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This year, however, marks the first time that the community couldn't marvel over the nostalgic dolls in the odd attraction.

After recently learning of it from some coworkers, I drove to the neighborhood hoping to find the Barbie Garden that was always set up in the front yard of the home.

I was unsuccessful at finding it, so I asked a woman walking down the street about the garden. That's when she shared with me the news about the unfortunate passing of Teresa Dall, the creator behind the Barbie Garden. She passed away on September 4, 2023 at the age of 77.

I knew then that the Barbie Garden Era had unfortunately come to an end.

Questions still loomed, however, regarding the garden's origin story.

As much as the community may know the spot for its weird collection of Barbies, Ken dolls, Godzillas, and other figurines that were on display, the reason behind it still needed to be told.

I spoke with Teresa's husband, Mark Dall, who shared a little of the heart behind his wife's creation that had gained so much attention for the past 28 years.

He said the display was a nod to women, and his wife wanted to share that story through her display.

"All of the Kens were setup and kept separate and all the barbies were set up riding on dinosaurs with their hands in the mouths like they were not fazed," he said. "The Barbies were the main point."

READ MORE: The Most Wildly Chaotic Scenes From Mattapoisett's Barbie Garden

Dall's creative perspective is similar to the themes of the Barbie movie, highlighting women's empowerment and defying societal expectations. Dall passed two months after the popular movie was released in July 2023.

As if that's not ironic enough, her last name is like another nod to the creation she started. 

The first anniversary of Dall's passing is coming up on September 4. She was a school teacher at Old Rochester High School for over 25 years.

Mark Dall said that the Barbie Garden was something she loved to do. Every May, the dolls would be set up in a new display until October, when the couple would take it down.

"She was a teacher when it started, she would put them up, and it was my job to clean them up every year when we take the garden down," he said.

READ MORE: Is the Mattapoisett Barbie Garden the Strangest Spot on the SouthCoast?

If you never got to experience this Barbie Garden or want to take an odd trip down memory lane, keep scrolling to see photos from the displays that have impacted this Mattapoisett neighborhood.

It's a crazy display of all things Barbie, Ken, and everything in between that once graced the front yard of this Mattapoisett home for 28 years.