Barbie®: The Exhibition – The Design Museum
Major exhibition opened at The Design Museum London to celebrate one of the most iconic dolls in the world. Barbie®: The Exhibition is exploring the evolution of the renowned Barbie brand, featuring over 250 items.
@urbanadventurerldn ???????? [BLOG POST IN BIO] Hi Barbie! Come with me to the Barbie exhibition at The Design Museum London ???? Barbara Millicent Roberts is celebrating her 65th anniversary this hear and this major exhibition has taken three years for @the Design Museum to bring it to life ???? Barbie®: The Exhibition is exploring the evolution of the renowned Barbie brand, featuring over 250 items ????️ Including the first Barbie released in 1959. If you’ve seen the Barbie movie, you’ll recognise it instantly ???? @mattel #barbietheexhibition #barbie #hibarbie #barbieexhibition #mattel #designmuseumlondon #barbiedoll #exhibition #londontiktok #CapCut
How It All Started
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Barbie was a creation of Ruth Handler, a co-founder and first president of the Mattel toy company.
In the early 1950s Ruth identified a gap in the market while observing her daughter, Barbara, as playing with paper dolls. Ruth noticed that what little girls really wanted was to be ‘bigger girls.’
Dolls of the 1950s looked like babies, socialising girls to get marry and have children to take care of as adults. Ruth realised that a new doll with adult body and glamourous accessories could offer new flexible ways for girls to play.
Ruth had to convince Mattel’s male executives that a fashion doll was a product worth developing because those executives had concerns that parents would have never bought a doll with mature female figure for their children.
The rest is history.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Barbie has become one the best-selling dolls worldwide. During its 65 years of success, she had more than 260 careers, at least 50 different houses, and influenced emotional development of generations of kids, shaped fashion, design and furniture.
The best-selling Barbie doll was the 1992’s ‘Totally Hair Barbie’ which was sold over 10 million across the globe.
Happy Birthday Barbie!
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Barbara Millicent Roberts is celebrating her 65th anniversary and this major exhibition has taken three years for The Design Museum to bring it to life, meaning they were busy with the curation long before the Barbie movie released.
To create the exhibition, The Design Museum was granted special access to the Barbie archives in California.
Hi Barbie!
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Your journey at The Design Museum’s Barbie exhibition starts with a rare first edition Barbie doll released by Mattel in 1959. This was called, ‘Number 1 Barbie’ and this is the one that first appears in the Barbie movie (portrayed by Margo Robbie) in the first few minutes.
It features long golden hair and black-and-white bathing suite.
This Barbie doll was marketed as a ‘Teen Age Fashion Model’. The doll came with glamourous accessories, such as earrings and a pair of fashion sunglasses. Her hairstyle was associated with young actors, like Sandra Dee.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
There is dark room showcasing all the different head and body shapes of Barbie, displaying the dolls behind rainbow-coloured windows.
We also learn that pink wasn’t always Barbie’s signature colour. In fact, it was introduced to the Barbieverse in the 1970s when pink furniture and interiors became fashionable.
Another room is showcasing the complex design process. Did you know that it takes 18 months for a new Barbie doll from concept to launch the actual product?
The exhibition highlights the diversity of the Barbie range with examples of the first black, Hispanic and Asian dolls along with the first wheelchair user Barbie, and the first one with curvy body shape.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Another exhibition room is entirely dedicated to Barbie Dreamhouses and vehicles, including the first ever dreamhouse from 1961. Many Barbie vehicles have been designed in partnership with established car manufacturers, such as Ferrari, Jaguar and Fiat.
Barbie’s evolution has really taken a long journey. Today Barbie is challenging gender stereotypes by delivering the message ‘you can be anything’ to young girls, inspiring them to discover their own potentials and choose whatever profession they want, whether it’s astronaut, mechanic or professional footballer.
Hi Ken!
Photo: Urban Adventurer
There is a section dedicated to Ken, displaying six decades of different versions of the doll. Ken was originally presented as Barbie’s boyfriend, but it changed later. Today, the relationship between Barbie and Ken is undefined, allowing children to project their own assumptions to the dolls.
Ken dolls have responded to the changing notions of male fashion over the decades. Just like Barbie, Ken dolls are embracing diversity and now available with different skin tones, body shapes and hairstyles.
‘Barbie®: The Exhibition’ is not just talking about the doll itself, but the whole universe Barbie has created and how it has shaped fashion and design and how fashion and design shaped Barbie’s world.
The Barbie Shop
Photo: Urban Adventurer
If you want to take home some souvenir after the exhibition, visit the Barbie Shop where you can find the limited-edition 65th anniversary Barbie dolls, Barbie dreamhouses, T-shirts, umbrellas, and other official merch.
Practical Info
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Address
The Design Museum | 224-238 Kensington High St, London W8 6AG
Opening Times
5 July 2024 – 23 Feb 2025
Tickets
Tickets can be booked on The Design Museum’s website
Ready for your next adventure? Somerset House is currently running a ‘pay-what-you-can’ exhibition where Harry Styles’ famous silver jumpsuit is on display.
