The Design Museum in London is gearing up for one more widespread 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 count on 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 things from the uncommon first-edition Barbie from 1959, wearing a black-and-white bathing go well with, to one-of-a-kind Speaking Barbie prototypes. Moreover, The exhibition explores how Barbie’s look has developed on account of cultural shifts round variety and illustration.
Danielle Thom, curator of ‘Barbie: The Exhibition’ on the Design Museum, mentioned, “The Barbie universe is expansive and thrilling, due to the meticulous work of proficient designers over the previous 65 years. Barbie is arguably probably the most globally acknowledged examples of world-building via product and graphic design. She has impressed many designers and artists to answer her historical past. The design story of Barbie is a wealthy subject for our museum to place below the highlight.”
The exhibition places vogue entrance and centre. Dozens of authentic Barbie outfits are displayed, showcasing her roots as a vogue icon and the way her look has mirrored mainstream vogue traits for over six a long time.
Guests can see how designers, from vogue legends like Claire McCardell and Christian Dior to modern 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), not too long ago 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 number of the doll’s most recognisable bestsellers, just like the trendsetting “Sundown Malibu Barbie” (1971), a surfer woman who captured the last decade’s spirit. Not solely that, one other spotlight is the groundbreaking “Day to Evening Barbie” (1985), symbolising the Nineteen Eighties working girl.
This revolutionary doll featured a pink work go well with that remodeled into a classy 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 bought 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, positive to impress toy consumers 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 also can 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 variety of in the present day’s world.
Step past the fashions and into Barbie’s world! The exhibition incorporates a part devoted to her expansive universe, showcasing playsets, autos, and homes. A real collector’s merchandise: the very first Barbie Dreamhouse (1962) is on show, a captivating cardboard creation reflecting the modernist fashion of its period. Furthermore, the exhibit additionally charts Barbie’s travels, from her first automobile in 1962 to her groovy campervan in 1971.
Tim Marlow, director and chief government 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 not too long ago, her influence has continued to evolve with every new technology.”
“Guests to our well timed exhibition will come face-to-face with a number of the most essential and recognisable iterations of Barbie from the previous six-and-a-half a long time. We hope it will likely be a joyful, fascinating, inspiring, illuminating, and even perhaps 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 gives a novel 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.
Associated
