The Design Museum in London is gearing up for one more fashionable summer time attraction: a Barbie exhibition! This showcase dives into the enduring doll’s historical past, exploring how her design has developed over time. Guests can anticipate to see vogue, structure, furnishings, and even how Barbie’s physique picture has been portrayed all through the years.
“Barbie: The Exhibition” runs till February 23, 2025, marking the sixty fifth anniversary of the Barbie model. It delves into the doll’s expansive universe, that includes all the pieces from the uncommon first-edition Barbie from 1959, wearing a black-and-white bathing swimsuit, to one-of-a-kind Speaking Barbie prototypes. Moreover, The exhibition explores how Barbie’s look has developed resulting from cultural shifts round range and illustration.
Danielle Thom, curator of ‘Barbie: The Exhibition’ on the Design Museum, stated, “The Barbie universe is expansive and thrilling, due to the meticulous work of proficient designers over the previous 65 years. Barbie is arguably one of the vital globally acknowledged examples of world-building by product and graphic design. She has impressed many designers and artists to reply to her historical past. The design story of Barbie is a wealthy matter for our museum to place underneath the highlight.”
The exhibition places vogue entrance and centre. Dozens of unique Barbie outfits are displayed, showcasing her roots as a vogue icon and the way her look has mirrored mainstream vogue traits for over six many years.
Guests can see how designers, from vogue legends like Claire McCardell and Christian Dior to up to date names like Nolan Miller and Zac Posen, have influenced Barbie’s wardrobe. As well as, the exhibit additionally options iconic items just like the “Poodle Parade” outfit (1965), lately reimagined in a life-size model worn by Billie Eilish on the 2024 Grammy Awards, and a shocking 1985 creation by Oscar de la Renta.
Over 250 objects, together with 180 iconic Barbies, fill the exhibition house. Guests can see a few of the doll’s most recognisable bestsellers, just like the trendsetting “Sundown Malibu Barbie” (1971), a surfer lady who captured the last decade’s spirit. Not solely that, one other spotlight is the groundbreaking “Day to Night time Barbie” (1985), symbolising the Nineteen Eighties working lady.
This modern doll featured a pink work swimsuit that reworked into an elegant night robe, reflecting the altering office for girls.
The exhibition doesn’t cease there! It additionally options two must-see Barbies: the ever-popular ‘Completely Hair’ Barbie (1992), the best-selling Barbie ever, with over 10 million dolls offered worldwide, and a real rarity—the very first Speaking Barbie from 1968.
On mortgage from the Mattel archives in Los Angeles, this distinctive prototype boasts a clear torso, showcasing its pull-string voice mechanism, certain to impress toy patrons again within the day.
The exhibition celebrates Barbie’s evolution right into a extra inclusive icon. On show are the primary Black, Hispanic, and Asian dolls, representing a multicultural society. Moreover, guests can even see the primary Barbie with Down syndrome, the primary to make use of a wheelchair, and the primary with a “curvy” physique form, all reflecting the range of right this moment’s world.
Step past the fashions and into Barbie’s world! The exhibition incorporates a part devoted to her expansive universe, showcasing playsets, automobiles, and homes. A real collector’s merchandise: the very first Barbie Dreamhouse (1962) is on show, an enthralling cardboard creation reflecting the modernist model of its period. Furthermore, the exhibit additionally charts Barbie’s travels, from her first automotive in 1962 to her groovy campervan in 1971.
Tim Marlow, director and chief govt of the Design Museum, added: “Design has been on the coronary heart of Barbie’s story since her creation 65 years in the past. As we’ve seen lately, her affect has continued to evolve with every new era.”
“Guests to our well timed exhibition will come face-to-face with a few of the most vital and recognisable iterations of Barbie from the previous six-and-a-half many years. We hope will probably be a joyful, fascinating, inspiring, illuminating, and maybe even nostalgic expertise for generations of Barbie followers.”
With “Barbie: The Exhibition,” the Design Museum invitations guests of all ages to discover the wealthy historical past and cultural significance of one of many world’s most iconic dolls. Whether or not you’re a lifelong fan or new to Barbie’s world, this exhibition provides a singular alternative to understand the artistry and innovation which have saved Barbie related and beloved for 65 years. Don’t miss this opportunity to expertise the magic and evolution of Barbie on show till February 23, 2025.
