The exhibition will feature dozens of rare and unique items from the Barbie archives in California
After the cultural phenomenon that was the Barbie movie – a release that had the whole world talking – the Design Museum has revealed that they’ve got a major retrospective in the works all about everyone’s favourite doll. Three years in the making, the exhibition will retrace nearly seven decades of history to tell the story of the iconic brand, with a particular focus on its design, in celebration of its 65th birthday.
The show is being presented in collaboration with Mattel Inc. which has granted the Museum special access to extensive Barbie archives, meaning that there’ll be a lot of rare and unique items on display. These will appear alongside other key loans and acquisitions, all of which will come together to explore the story of Barbie, as well as fashion, architecture, furniture and vehicle design. A rare first edition Barbie from 1959 will feature among the dolls on display, as well as a one-of-a-kind Talking Barbie prototype and the best-selling Totally Hair Barbie.
The exhibition will open in July 2024; in the meantime, for a bit of an idea of what we can expect, Tim Marlow, Director and CEO of the Design Museum, said: “We look forward next year to displaying a whole range of eye-catching objects, some familiar but many never seen before, to showcase the evolution of design across the decades of Barbie’s world.”
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Opens Fri 5th July 2024
224 – 238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG
designmuseum.org