Major new Barbie exhibition set to open in the UK next year
1962 Barbie Dream House. Photo: Mattel, Inc
A major new exhibition to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Barbie will launch in the UK next year.
Three years in the making, the exhibition will explore the design evolution of one of the world’s most famous dolls, also celebrated in this summer’s box office cinema release.
HOW OLD IS BARBIE?
Barbie celebrates 65 years in 2024 and the exhibition, which coincides with this, is being put on by the Design Museum London, in collaboration with Barbie manufacturer Mattel Inc.
The Design Museum says it has been granted special access to the extensive Barbie archives in California. And dozens of rare and unique items will go on show alongside other key loans and acquisitions to tell the story of the iconic brand over the past six-and-a-half decades.
The exhibition, which will be curated by the Design Museum Curator Danielle Thom, will map the Barbie legacy that started nearly 65 years ago and go on to explore the story of Barbie through a design lens, including fashion,architecture, furniture and vehicle design.
1985 day to night Barbie. Photo: Mattel Inc.
WHY ARE PEOPLE CELEBRATING BARBIE?
“Barbie is one of the most recognisable brands on the planet and as we’ve seen recently, her story evolves with each new generation,” said Tim Marlow, Director and CEO of the Design Museum.
The Barbie legacy started in 1959, when Ruth Handler wanted to craft a different narrative for her daughter, Barbara. Recognising a gap in the market, which only offered baby dolls for girls to imagine themselves as caregivers, she invented the ‘fashion doll’ category with a three-dimensional doll that girls could use to imagine their future selves.
Ruth’s philosophy behind Barbie was that through the doll a little girl could be anything she wanted to be and that she had choices.
And in 2024, as Barbie celebrates its 65th anniversary, all eyes will be on this legendary toy and why it continues to bring delight and joy so many years later.
Marlow continued: “I am delighted that we can announce that we’re planning to mark Barbie’s 65th birthday with a major exhibition, and I want to thank Mattel for collaborating with us through their extensive archive to help us tell this story.
“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,” he added.
WHAT IS THE BARBIE TREND 2023?
Margot Robbie as Barbie captured the global imaginations of Barbie fans young and old, so much so that the Barbiecore trend went viral across social media as the world turned neon pink.
Head into any Lush store now and you’ll still see signs of it, with Barbie inspired bath bombs on sale. ‘Barbie pink’ even inspired a toilet cleaner, according to Unilever’s boss!
WHY IS EVERYONE DRESSING LIKE BARBIE?
At the height of the film’s success over the summer, you couldn’t move for Barbie pink inspired fashion looks splashed across social media. We all went Barbie crazy, with influencers posting pictures of themselves either dressed as Barbie or inspired by the bright pink colour in terms of their style and accessories.
Warner Bros. Barbie movie smashed box office records
The movie stars Australian actress Margot Robbie (who’s production company LuckyChap Entertainment also produced the movie), alongside US actor, Ryan Gosling, as Ken. In addition to a supporting cast which includes America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman and Will Ferrell.
The film reportedly had a marketing budget of £150m, a bigger budget than the movie itself. And a global publicity campaign in full steam that kept the film front-of-mind for consumers for many weeks after its box office release. Showing the true power of great marketing.
But rather like the creator’s early vision, the film offered a narrative for its characters to be whatever they wanted to be. This included a Nobel Prize-winning Barbie, pregnant Barbie, and even ‘Weird’ barbie. And it was directed by Greta Gerwig, who proclaimed Barbie to be “most certainly a feminist film.”
As we continue to celebrate all things pink, the new Barbie exhibition will open at the Design Museum on 05 July 2024. Tickets will go on sale in the spring.
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Emily Seares
Emily Seares has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, specialising in fashion, retail, luxury, and business transformation. She is regularly by-lined in national newspapers and magazines and has an extensive network of industry contacts. Emily has spoken at international conferences, provided live interviews as a fashion expert on the BBC, and delivered regular lectures at a prestigious British university. She has received recognition for her contributions to the industry and was honoured in British VOGUE's Powerlist Top 100.
In business, leadership is one of the main contributors to success. A strong leadership style can propel an organisation toward its goals. However, leadership is
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Major new Barbie exhibition set to open in the UK next year
A major new exhibition to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Barbie will launch in the UK next year.
Three years in the making, the exhibition will explore the design evolution of one of the world’s most famous dolls, also celebrated in this summer’s box office cinema release.
HOW OLD IS BARBIE?
Barbie celebrates 65 years in 2024 and the exhibition, which coincides with this, is being put on by the Design Museum London, in collaboration with Barbie manufacturer Mattel Inc.
The Design Museum says it has been granted special access to the extensive Barbie archives in California. And dozens of rare and unique items will go on show alongside other key loans and acquisitions to tell the story of the iconic brand over the past six-and-a-half decades.
The exhibition, which will be curated by the Design Museum Curator Danielle Thom, will map the Barbie legacy that started nearly 65 years ago and go on to explore the story of Barbie through a design lens, including fashion,architecture, furniture and vehicle design.
WHY ARE PEOPLE CELEBRATING BARBIE?
“Barbie is one of the most recognisable brands on the planet and as we’ve seen recently, her story evolves with each new generation,” said Tim Marlow, Director and CEO of the Design Museum.
The Barbie legacy started in 1959, when Ruth Handler wanted to craft a different narrative for her daughter, Barbara. Recognising a gap in the market, which only offered baby dolls for girls to imagine themselves as caregivers, she invented the ‘fashion doll’ category with a three-dimensional doll that girls could use to imagine their future selves.
Ruth’s philosophy behind Barbie was that through the doll a little girl could be anything she wanted to be and that she had choices.
And in 2024, as Barbie celebrates its 65th anniversary, all eyes will be on this legendary toy and why it continues to bring delight and joy so many years later.
Marlow continued: “I am delighted that we can announce that we’re planning to mark Barbie’s 65th birthday with a major exhibition, and I want to thank Mattel for collaborating with us through their extensive archive to help us tell this story.
“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,” he added.
WHAT IS THE BARBIE TREND 2023?
Margot Robbie as Barbie captured the global imaginations of Barbie fans young and old, so much so that the Barbiecore trend went viral across social media as the world turned neon pink.
Head into any Lush store now and you’ll still see signs of it, with Barbie inspired bath bombs on sale. ‘Barbie pink’ even inspired a toilet cleaner, according to Unilever’s boss!
WHY IS EVERYONE DRESSING LIKE BARBIE?
At the height of the film’s success over the summer, you couldn’t move for Barbie pink inspired fashion looks splashed across social media. We all went Barbie crazy, with influencers posting pictures of themselves either dressed as Barbie or inspired by the bright pink colour in terms of their style and accessories.
And ‘Barbie’ the movie smashed all records for Warner Bros, becoming the studio’s highest-grossing global release in its 100-year history.
The movie stars Australian actress Margot Robbie (who’s production company LuckyChap Entertainment also produced the movie), alongside US actor, Ryan Gosling, as Ken. In addition to a supporting cast which includes America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman and Will Ferrell.
The film reportedly had a marketing budget of £150m, a bigger budget than the movie itself. And a global publicity campaign in full steam that kept the film front-of-mind for consumers for many weeks after its box office release. Showing the true power of great marketing.
But rather like the creator’s early vision, the film offered a narrative for its characters to be whatever they wanted to be. This included a Nobel Prize-winning Barbie, pregnant Barbie, and even ‘Weird’ barbie. And it was directed by Greta Gerwig, who proclaimed Barbie to be “most certainly a feminist film.”
As we continue to celebrate all things pink, the new Barbie exhibition will open at the Design Museum on 05 July 2024. Tickets will go on sale in the spring.
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