The exhibition features 250 objects from the world of Barbie, including 180 dolls spanning seven decades.
Whether president, astronaut, fashion designer or doctor, Barbie It has had its representation in all levels of society. This Friday, July 5, a new exhibition opened at the Design Museum in London that, for seven months, celebrates the 65th anniversary of the iconic doll.
The exhibition features 250 objects from the world of Barbie, including 180 dolls spanning seven decades. The Ken doll and his friends also make an appearance.
“From the Design Museum’s point of view, what we wanted was to look at Barbie from a design point of view,” explains Danielle Thom, curator of the exhibition.
“What many people don’t know is how they are born these dolls, why they are born and why they look the way they do. These things are not designed in isolation. “They connect with popular culture in many ways, and we wanted to explore that concept.”
What is exhibited in the Barbie exhibition?
Kim Culmone, Senior Vice President of Design at Mattel, the company that created the doll, explains why Barbie has made a resurgence in recent years.
“It’s always been a part of the culture, but I think now people realize the depth and elasticity of a brand like Barbie. It’s much more than a doll“he points out.
Key pieces in the exhibition include an original 1959 Barbie in a black and white striped swimsuit, a 1968 talking Barbie prototype from the Mattel archives, the so-called ‘Peaches and Cream’ Barbie from the 1980s, and Astronaut Barbie, made in the image and likeness of the first captain of the International Space Station, Samantha Cristoforetti.
In April 2022, Cristoforetti took her Barbie on a 170-day mission to the International Space Station, and until now, the doll had never been on public display.
Visitors will also be able to see the 1971 Sunset Malibu ‘Surfer’ Barbie, the groundbreaking 1985 ‘Day to Night’ Barbie, designed to reflect the women’s workplace revolution in the 1980s, and the 1992 ‘Totally Hair’ Barbie. , the best-selling Barbie of all time.
In addition, the exhibition includes examples of the first black, Hispanic and Asian dolls to bear the name Barbie, as well as the first Barbie with Down syndromethe first to use a wheelchair and the first to be designed with a ‘curvy’ body shape.
As the exhibition has been in preparation for five years, the film ‘Barbie’, made in 2023, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie, was the subject of a ‘wink’ by the exhibition organizers in the final room of the exhibition.
“It didn’t change dramatically, because we had always thought of this exhibition as a fairly separate entity,” Thom said.
“What we did introduce, as a result of the movie, is a series of objects, film props, costumes and other things that refer to the feature film. As I see it, it’s the latest in a series of significant creative responses to Barbie,” she added.
‘Barbie®: The Exhibition’ will remain at the Design Museum in London until February 23, 2025.
Additional sources • J-Cut Productions
