The Design Museum has just opened a new show tracing the design story of the world’s most famous 11.5-inch influencer: Barbie. And in a way, it’s quite a difficult exhibition to review, for the simple reason it is exactly what you would expect.
Opening to mark the 65th anniversary of her creation – and coincidentally coming off the back of the 2023 movie that made a billion dollars at the global box office – it’s another vibrant excuse to immerse yourself in pure Barbiecore. And if that sounds good to you, you’ll have an absolute blast.
The show begins in 1959, inviting you to step through a pink portal into Barbie’s world (the first of many pleasing, poppy bits of set dressing from Sam Jacob Studio). Here, against a plush velvet curtain and facing the first of many, many television adverts is the original doll, rotating slowly in a single glass case. With her poodle-curled fringe and sly side-eye, she became an instant icon.
This was a surprise to Mattel, who required considerable arm-twisting to invest in Ruth Handler’s idea. She noticed that children’s dolls were all children themselves: they were training little girls for a future of motherhood. So she set out to create a grown-up doll that kids could project their future selves onto: someone who was popular, self-reliant, and could tackle any career path she chose – even if the reality for women in late 50s America was very different.
Whether Barbie succeeds in her feminist mission or fuels materialism and unrealistic body ideals is beyond the scope of this exhibition – this is the Design Museum, after all. Instead, it’s a decade-spanning retrospective of the doll’s evolving design, the impressive architecture of the Barbie Dreamhouses, and how Barbie’s cars, accessories and furnishings have always reflected contemporary design tastes and aspirations in a pink, plastic microcosm. With exclusive, unfettered access to Mattel’s archives, and over 250 objects on display, it’s an absolute treat for Barbie fans.
Barbie’s early days give an insight into the brand’s tentative first steps into expansion: the introduction of her all-American sweetheart, Ken; her network of friends (including pregnant Midge, designed to offered kids a way to explore childcare roles without making Barbie a mother herself); a rapidly expanding wardrobe for any occasion (some of which cost more than the doll); and her first forays into the working world beyond ‘teen age model’: flight attendant, fashion designer, ballerina and registered nurse.
Then there’s the hall of fame showcasing Barbie’s evolution through the ages – the switch to forward-looking eyes in 1971; the first Barbies to more authentically reflect African-American features in the 1990s; the diversity of heights, body shapes and abilities that are embodied by Barbies today. And of course, Ken makes an appearance too, including his wildly popular Magic Earring incarnation – but one case is, apparently, kenough.
What else? There’s mesmeric videos showing how hair is sewn into Barbie’s scalp; unpainted head moulds that might possibly haunt your dreams; fashion sketches and dress patterns for her couture gowns. There are 90s adverts playing on repeat; Barbies who could walk and talk; and an iridescent chamber exploring her enduring cultural impact, from Warhol prints to Greta Gerwig’s 2023 blockbuster.
The biggest room holds a small village of Barbie dream houses, from her midcentury cardboard studio flat to bombastic 80s mansions with pillars, turrets, and functioning elevators. Barbie’s careers continue to proliferate, first running for president in 1992 (when there were just two women in the Senate), and more recently expanding to include Chief Sustainability Officer Barbie. There’s even the Barbie who actually made it into space, thanks to Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.
If you grew up with Barbie (and with over a billion dolls sold worldwide, it’s statistically very likely you did), you can’t fail to enjoy the pure nostalgia of this exhibition. Kids go round begging their parents to buy them a new doll in the gift shop. The eternally youthful Barbie could have another 65 years in her yet.
Oh, and in case you don’t know it, the museum itself is located just around the corner from the most stylish of Barbie’s boyfriends…
…High Street Ken.
NOTE: Barbie®: The Exhibition runs at the Design Museum until 23rd February 2025. Tickets start at £14.38 – you can book here.
The Design Museum | 224-238 Kensington High St, W8 6AG
Keen to find out what the rest of the city’s art scene has to offer? Check out all the exhibitions currently on at London’s best art galleries…