Barbie’s 65th Anniversary: A Design Exhibition

Exploring the Story of Barbie through Design

Have you ever wondered how Barbie’s homes, furniture, and other products have reflected the tastes and trends of the day?

A new exhibition celebrating the doll’s 65th anniversary opened at London’s Design Museum, exploring the story of Barbie through a design lens, including fashion and furniture design.

Curator’s Perspective

After 5 years in the making, curator Danielle Thom says now is the right time to showcase Barbie’s remarkable brand.

“It is an anniversary year and so it feels like a good moment to look back and to take stock of everything that this quite remarkable brand accomplished in that time. But also from the perspective of the Design Museum, what we really wanted to do is to look at Barbie through a design lens,” Thom said.

“A lot of people don’t know is how these dolls come into being and why they come into being, and why they look the way they do. These things are not designed in isolation. They connect to popular culture in so many ways, and we really wanted to explore that,” she added.

Number 1 Barbie

“Barbie: The Exhibition” will run at London’s Design Museum until February 23rd, 2025, featuring 250 objects from Barbie’s world, including 180 dolls.

Highlights include a rare first edition of the very first doll released by Mattel in 1959 (‘Number 1 Barbie’).

“Well, the first you encounter is perhaps the most important because it’s why we’re all here and that’s the very first Barbie, the number one edition Barbie from 1959 and she is shown in her original black and white swimsuit, her hair in a ponytail in her high heels of course. The very first doll when she was released initially was greeted with some skepticism. A lot of male toy executives felt that parents wouldn’t want their children to have a doll with a, you know, a mature female figure. And of course, they were proven wrong quite quickly. Barbie was an immediate success,” Thom said.

A section is dedicated to Ken, Barbie’s boyfriend, featuring six decades’ worth of Ken dolls on show.

Barbie’s Cultural Impact

As the exhibit has been in the making for years, 2023’s “Barbie” film – directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie – got a slight nod in the final room.

“It didn’t change dramatically because we had always always thought of this exhibition as being a quite a separate entity,” Thom said. “What we did introduce as a result of the film were and are a number of objects, props from the film, costuming and other things that reference the film. Because as I see it, it is only the most recent of a number of significant creative responses to Barbie,” she added.

Conclusion

Barbie’s enduring popularity can be attributed to its ability to adapt to changing tastes and trends, while remaining true to its iconic brand.

FAQs

Q: When is the exhibition running?

A: “Barbie: The Exhibition” will run at London’s Design Museum until February 23rd, 2025.

Q: What can I expect to see at the exhibition?

A: The exhibition features 250 objects from Barbie’s world, including 180 dolls, as well as a rare first edition of the very first doll released by Mattel in 1959.

Q: Is the exhibition only about Barbie dolls?

A: No, the exhibition explores the story of Barbie through a design lens, including fashion and furniture design, and features a section dedicated to Ken, Barbie’s boyfriend.

Q: Will there be any nods to recent creative responses to Barbie?

A: Yes, the exhibition will feature props and costuming from the 2023 “Barbie” film, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie.