Barbie: The Exhibition celebrates the doll at the Design Museum

Explore the legacy across 180 dolls and accessories.

Barbie fever shows no signs of stopping. Barbie: The Exhibition has opened in the Design Museum, which is located in Kensington, London. Created in partnership with Mattel, it marks the 65^th anniversary of the brand. The exhibition runs from 5 July to 23 February 2025, and looks set to be fantastic.

Barbie: The Exhibition at the Design Museum brings together more than 180 dolls and accessories, and some of the earliest dolls. The collection dates back to 1959, and runs up to the present day. The dolls include the first moving Barbie and the first talking Barbie. Plus, it will explore the brand’s advances in diversity and representation, and its first Black, Hispanic and Asian dolls.

The highlights include the Sunset Malibu Barbie from 1971, and the Day to Night Barbie from 1985. The exhibition also brings the Kenergy with a dedicated section on Ken, which includes six decades’ worth of Ken dolls.

Tim Marlow, Director and CEO of the Design Museum said: “Design has been at the heart of Barbie’s story ever since her creation 65 years ago. And as we’ve seen recently, her impact has also evolved with each new generation. Visitors to our timely exhibition will come face-to-face with some of the most important and recognisable iterations of Barbie from across the past six-and-a-half decades, and we hope it will be a joyful, fascinating, inspiring, illuminating and even perhaps nostalgic experience for generations of Barbie fans.”

Kim Culmone, SVP of Design for Mattel, said “Since her debut in 1959, Barbie has become an international icon and inspiration that continues to spark conversation, creativity, and self-expression around the world. This exhibition will tell the story of Barbie through a design lens including fashion, architecture, furniture, and vehicle design, which are all spaces where she has left a mark on culture during her remarkable 65-year career.”

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GO: Visit https://designmuseum.org for more information.