A Quick History Of Barbie

It was 1959 that saw the co-creator of Mattel, Ruth Handler create the iconic doll that we know today as ‘Barbie’. Ruth was inspired by her daughter, Barbara’s love for playing with paper dolls and noticed a gap in the toy market for three-dimensional adult-like dolls. Barbie was the doll that was about to become an inspirational role model for young girls. Since 1959, Barbie has grown to become a cultural icon who follows the latest fashion trends with a diverse portfolio from scientist to president and modern-day climate activist.

Despite criticism, since 2016, the Barbie Fashionistas line created new body types including, ‘Petite’, ‘Curvy’ and ‘Tall’ along with the ‘Original’ Barbie body to promote the inclusivity that the ‘Barbie’ brand represents. The Barbie of today presents contemporary values and a 65-year history that brings a sense of pink nostalgia and brings joy to new fans and collectors alike. The world wondered after the Barbiemania of 2023, was pink out? But now we’re here for Barbie taking centre stage in London.

Barbie: The Exhibition in London

On 3rd July 2024, Hannah Taylor from The Toy Coach Team attended an exclusive press preview of Barbie: The Exhibition at the Design Museum in Kensington, London. Barbie is clearly much more than a doll, she’s a fashion icon, an inspirational leading woman and a fearless advocate for change who also loves pink! Let’s explore her cultural history and diverse representation in Barbie: The Exhibition.

Press Exclusive: Behind The Scenes at The Barbie Exhibition

The Barbie: The Exhibition Press Preview held speeches from Director of The Design Museum, Tim Marlow OBE, Exhibition Curator, Danielle Thom and Senior Vice President, Head of Design of Mattel Dolls, Kim Culmone.

It’s particularly interesting to learn that a toy line which lasts between 3 to 5 years is considered a ‘success’ in the toy market and Mattel gears towards providing more dolls that cater towards their growing adult doll collector consumers over the next few years.  

Barbie: The Exhibition at The London Design Museum

To commemorate and coincide with Barbie’s 65th birthday anniversary, The Design Museum hosts Barbie: The Exhibition starting from 5th July 2024 through to 23rd February 2025.

Delve into the Barbie doll archives with Barbie: The Exhibition featuring more than 180 dolls and over 250 objects, explore Barbie’s history and legacy from the first ever Barbie back in 1959 to the modern-day diverse Fashionista line.

Barbie products from DreamHouses and vehicles to fashion packs and playsets have set Barbie in motion to help ‘design’ her world. Mattel lent their own Barbie products on display from the Barbie archives in their Headquarters at El Segundo, California for this exhibition.

There’s so much pink nostalgia on display, you won’t want to miss this unique insight into Barbie’s world! Curated by Danielle Thom and designed by Sam Jacob Studio, this is the first ever major Barbie exhibit in London. The Design Museum focus on architecture so there were many Barbie DreamHouses on display!

The Evolution of Barbie Logos Since 1959

Barbie has certainly changed with the times and alongside every era Barbie’s logo has changed. As seen in the picture, the second Barbie logo which ran from 1976 through to 1991 was the logo used in Barbie: The Movie (2023).

The Rarest Barbie

First edition Barbie also known as ‘Number 1 Barbie’ is on display! The story of the world’s most recognised doll began when Barbie creator, Ruth Handler took Barbie to New York Toy Fair on 9th March 1959.

But Barbie didn’t sell well among prospective buyers. With Barbie’s mature female figure, Ruth had to convince Mattel’s male executives that young girls would play with Barbie.

The design of Barbie was inspired by a German novelty doll, called Bild Lilli, made for the adult audience in mind. When Ruth saw Lilli on her trip in Europe, she became inspired to make her own doll. Ruth then incorporated mix and match fashions which eventually became the appeal of Barbie. Alongside First Edition Barbie are TV commercials from 1959 which highlight Barbie’s development from ‘doll’ to ‘brand.’

How Barbie Is Made

Barbie: The Exhibition goes behind-the-scenes with an exclusive insight into Mattel’s design process from product concept through to final development. On display is each stage of how Mattel designed and created the new Barbie 65th Anniversary Doll.

Barbie CT Scans

CT scans compare Barbie’s original body mould and face sculpt to the modern ‘Made to Move’ Barbie body.

The details in the scans show just how much work goes into producing each and every Barbie doll with their range of materials from soft plastics and dense vinyl to features like jointed knees and rotating hinges. The materials Mattel uses for Barbie has clearly evolved over the years.

Barbie Fashion Sketches

Barbie: The Exhibition also takes you through the design process behind the Barbie 65th anniversary doll (available in blonde hair or brown hair). Designed by Mattel designer, Carlyle Nuera, this doll takes direct inspiration from the First Edition Barbie from 1959.

The annotated concept design shows Barbie’s updated look that is on-brand for Barbie being both timely and timeless. Just like her predecessor, the 65th anniversary dolls feature red nails, black eyeliner, red lips, the classic white and black stripes pattern and modernised open-toe mules accessorized with sunglasses to pay tribute to the First Edition Barbie.

Barbie Skin Tones

The different skin tones Mattel uses across the doll range show Barbie’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity.

Barbie Hair Samples

The hair for both dolls here shows the layers and various textures that goes into creating Barbie’s ultimate final look.

Barbie’s Face Sculpting & Hair Rooting

Each doll head shows the developmental step-by-step process to Barbie’s face paint. From basic eyes and lip paint to a more detailed and defined makeup look. Her hair also goes through some changes and is parted in a half-up/half-down hairstyle in her final concept.

Mattel’s Behind-the-scenes Process

Around the exhibit are short video clips that show Mattel employees working their magic and go into more detail behind the face sculpting and hair rooting process.

Barbie Hair Chandelier

There’s even a chandelier on display made out of brunette Barbie hair!

Barbie Costume Design

The left mannequin displays the original Barbie dress with hand-drawn lines to the final dress on the right with weaving stripes and a tulle underlay for added layers.

The left mannequin displays the original Barbie dress with hand-drawn lines to the final dress on the right with weaving stripes and a tulle underlay for added layers.

Barbie’s Packaging & Box Design

For the Barbie Signature doll line (recommended for 15+), the packaging design is a particular feature that needs to be done just right for it’s adult doll collector consumer. The box design (pictured below) shows the work that goes into making Barbie’s box, wrist tag and official collectors’ certificate.

Barbie’s Final Stage: The Final Product

After sketching out Barbie’s fashion and accessories, choosing her skin tone, painting her makeup, choosing her hair colour and texture and rooting her hair to digitally designing her box - it’s time for Barbie’s final development stage, the packaging stage. The image below shows Barbie’s box development process from the prototype plain box to the finished black and pink box with Barbie securely packaged inside.

The Evolution of Barbie

Barbie’s had quite the transformation over the years. Here’s Barbie’s style evolution from her early beginnings in the 1960s to her present-day look.

1960s Barbies

Barbie during the 1960s saw transformations including a new Twist ‘N Turn waist and a new head mould for the introduction of Barbie’s English BFF, Stacey.

‘American Girl Barbie’ in 1965 (pictured left) saw the introduction of Barbie’s bendable legs with jointed knees.

Twist ‘N Turn Barbie in 1967 (pictured centre) changed Barbie’s original design. She could now move more with her rotating waist.

Twist ‘N Turn Stacey in 1968 (pictured right) saw the launch of a new Barbie character. Stacey from England was inspired by the fashion looks of London’s Carnaby Street.

Present-Day Barbies

The contemporary Fashionistas line in 2016 features new body types - Tall, Curvy and Petite body types alongside the Original Barbie body.

Barbies of the 2010s reflected popular beauty trends across social media and can be seen wearing more modern makeup looks.

Talking Barbie Prototype

A unique prototype of Talking Barbie from 1968 shows Barbie’s transparent torso to display Barbie’s voice mechanism which activated by a pull-string was available for prospective toy buyers to view.

The Best-selling Barbie

The best-selling Barbie of all time is the Totally Hair Barbie released in 1992. This doll sold an impressive 100 million units worldwide. The Barbies in this line featured ultra-long crimped hair with hair gel and hair accessories to create different hairstyles.

Fashion Icon: Barbie’s Best Looks

Dating from 1959 through to 2005, some of Barbie’s most iconic fashion and accessories are on display.

Barbie’s Decades of Dreamhouses

As The Design Museum focuses mainly on architecture, there were plenty of Barbie’s DreamHouses on display!

Barbie’s First Home

Barbie’s had countless homes throughout her eras, starting with her beginner house back in 1962 which was made out of cardboard… even the furniture and accessories too!

Barbie’s ‘A-Frame’ DreamHouse

Barbie’s A-Frame DreamHouse from 1978 featured a completely different look from her other DreamHouses. It’s modular A-Frame structure was inspired by postmodernist architect, Frank Genhry with its pitched roof and angular windows. Another notable feature is its yellow, orange and white colour palette which came before Barbie’s traditionally ‘pink’ DreamHouse designs.

Barbie’s Cottages, Mansions & Townhouses

She’s even had cottages with her 1998 Family Cottage (pictured above) to her own Barbie Magical Mansion in 1990, featuring pink glitter-covered external walls (pictured below). It’s safe to say, Barbie definitely owns the term ‘DreamHouse’.

But one of her most iconic homes is the 1995 Barbie DreamHouse which adopted a 19th-century American architecture style known as ‘Queen Anne’. This style was influenced by English architects like Norman Shaw with its turret, balcony and real working elevator features.

Barbie’s Talking Townhouse

Barbie’s Talking Townhouse, released in 2002 features lights, sounds and an electronic voice that talks to Barbie. The Townhouse was re-released without its talking features as ‘Forever Barbie Townhouse - Refresh’ in the US in 2006.

In the UK, this house was released as the ‘City Pretty Townhouse’ in 2005 but didn’t actually talk and instead, came with two exclusive Barbie dolls. This was my main childhood Barbie house and I still have the house, dolls and accessories in my Barbie collection today.

Pictured below, is the Townhouse’s interior which includes multiple play areas in a compact and ‘foldaway’ house playset. The Townhouse opens out to reveal two-storeys, featuring Barbie’s kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom and stairs.

Barbie Houses of the 2000s  

Many of the Barbie houses released between the early to mid-2000s focused on this ‘foldaway’ element where you could play with your dolls and then ‘foldaway’ the house ready for another day of play.

Pictured below is another example of a ‘foldaway’ Barbie house with ‘Barbie Totally Real House’ (2005) from my personal collection.

Similar to the US-released Barbie Talking Townhouse, each play area in Barbie’s ‘Totally Real House’ including the shower, washing machine and doorbell make their own realistic sounds to replicate the real world.

The Ultimate Barbie DreamHouse

Barbie’s DreamHouses of today now boast three-storeys of imaginative play (pictured above). Mattel usually releases a Barbie DreamHouse every year and typical features include a pool, slide, working lift and garage space for Barbie’s car (pictured below).

Is This Kenough?

There’s six decades of Ken dolls on display from his dapper-suit-wearing days of the 1960s and 70s through to controversial Earring Magic Ken and the revolutionary Fashionista line. This saw Ken receive his own ‘Fashionista Ken’ line introducing three new body types with Slim, Broad and the Original Ken body along with a more diverse range of skin tones, hair colours and hairstyles.

As featured in the image below, Camo Ken (#8) with the Broad body and #16 and #130 with the Slim body represent the different Fashionista body types.

Mattel also included Ken in their BMR1959 line with a made-to-move articulated body. Displayed next to Fashionista Ken #130 here, the BMR1959 line represents ‘Barbie Millicent Roberts’ and celebrated her 60-year anniversary in 2019.

He’s Just… Allan

Ken’s BFF, Allan was not a huge success during his launch. Marketed as being able to share clothes with Ken, Allan was unmatched when it came to popularity. As portrayed in Barbie: The Movie, poor Allan just wasn’t popular. Nonetheless, he remains an iconic character in Barbie’s world and is widely known in the Barbie community. But Allan deserves better.

Barbie & Her Sisters - Skipper

Skipper Roberts was released five years after Barbie in 1964. Known as Barbie’s little sister, Skipper was developed to counteract concerns that Barbie was too ‘adult-like’.

The teen doll is a regular in the Barbie line and Mattel recently released the ‘Skipper Babysitters Inc’ collection featuring an inclusive line of 10.5-inch Skipper friend dolls. Although, there was a notable absence of Barbie’s younger sisters, Stacie and Chelsea (formally, Kelly in the US or Shelly (UK) in the exhibit).

The Diverse Friends of Barbie

Midge

Midge Hadley was the third doll Mattel released in Barbie’s world back in 1963. Known as Barbie’s main BFF, Midge has pretty redhead and cute freckles. But like Allan, Midge has also faced trouble along the way, becoming one of Mattel’s most controversial releases with the pregnant Midge doll (played by Emerald Fennell in Barbie: The Movie). As part of 2002’s Happy Family line, the doll that was said to promote ‘teen motherhood’ was discontinued soon after her release.

Here’s the original Midge and the 2002 pregnant Happy Family Midge side-by-side to highlight Midge’s transformation over the years. Although, she just keeps on returning, as Mattel released a vintage Midge re-production doll to celebrate her 60th anniversary.

Francie & Christie

Francie was the first Barbie of colour in 1967 and featured the same head mould as Barbie. In 1968, Mattel released its first Black Barbie doll and Barbie’s new friend, Christie. She was the first Barbie to have Afrocentric features and hair.

Created towards the end of the Civil Rights Movement, Christie was first released as part of the ‘Talking Barbie’ line alongside Barbie and English friend, Stacey.
See the ‘Barbie Prototype’ section from earlier to read about the mechanism!

Watch the ‘Talking Barbie Dolls Commercial’ from 1969 below:

Netflix recently released Black Barbie: A Documentary which features the untold story of the first ever Black Barbie doll told through the three trailblazing women from Mattel’s design team. In 1980, Kitty Black Perkins became Mattel’s first ever Black designer who designed the first ever Black Barbie.

Here she can be seen in the photo below.

Teresa

Barbie’s BFF, Teresa has been there for her since 1987 with her first doll, California Dream Teresa. She is the first Hispanic Barbie and has continued to be a regular character in Barbie’s world.

Miko, Kira & Lea

Barbie’s large group of friends reflect different ethnicities and cultural contexts. Miko (seen above) was the first Asian friend of Barbie and was released in 1985. Kira (seen above) later replaced Miko in the 1990s and Lea (seen below) replaced Kira throughout the doll lines in the 2000s.

Flying Into Space: Barbie’s Adventures In Space

A detailed display dedicated to Barbie in space! Barbie Space Discovery Playset and vintage 1972 Barbie Friend Ship Airplane (seen below) took centre stage to mark Barbie’s contribution to space travel.

The Space Display!

Other space themed dolls on display were Miss Astronaut Barbie from 1965 along with the Samantha Cristoforetti doll from the Barbie ‘Role Models’ line which is being exhibited for the first time ever.

On loan from the European Space Agency, this exact doll travelled on a 170-day mission to the space station alongside Samantha Cristoforetti in April 2022. The Samantha doll is part of Barbie’s ‘Dream Gap Project’ which challenges gender stereotypes and aims to close the gap on gender biases.

Barbie’s Endless Career Opportunities

Barbie’s endless and impressive résumé boasts 250 careers and counting. The unstoppable career hungry doll has worked in the service industry as a doctor and police officer (Image 1), an office worker in Day-to-Night Barbie which reflected the workplace revolution in the 1980s for women (Image 2), a climate activist (Image 3) to reflect our world today, U.S. president (Image 4), school teacher (Image 5), nurse and chef (Image 6) and so much more in her 65-year and counting career.

Click through the slideshow to see Barbie’s careers through the years.

Image 1: Police Officer Barbie (1993)
Image 2: Day-to-Night Barbie (1985)
Image 3: Eco-Leadership Team (2022)
Image 4: President Barbies
Image 5: Teacher Barbie (1995)
Image 6: Nurse Barbie (1961) and Pasta Chef Barbie (2021)

Barbie at the Oscars

After the worldwide success and phenomenon that was Barbie: The Movie, Mattel released the ‘Women in Film’ four pack dolls adding yet more careers to Barbie’s already impressive and expansive portfolio.

Each of the dolls represent different roles in the filmmaking process with a Director doll, Studio Executive doll, Cinematographer doll and a Movie star doll dressed in a sparkly pink ballgown and receiving her own ‘Barbie’ Oscar trophy in the shape of First Edition Barbie for ‘Best Actress’. This set celebrated the hardworking women in film both in front of and behind the camera.

Inspirational Women in Barbie Doll Form

The Barbie Inspiring Women Series has seen countless inspiring women in history commemorated with their very own Barbie doll. Created in 2018, the line dates all the way back in history from 19th century iconic female figures, including Civil Rights Movement changemakers and activists, Ida B. Wells, Rosa Parks and Maya Angelou.

Pictured here is the first female Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation and advocate for social justice, Wilma Mankiller in Barbie form.

Also, on display as part of the Inspiring Women line is the multiple Grand Slam Champion Billie Jean King Barbie doll inspired by her look in the 1960s.

Other notable dolls from this line are the first American woman in space, Sally Ride Barbie from the 1970s, the first African-American NASA Scientist, Katherine Johnson Barbie from the 1980s and British Anthropologist and Primatologist, Dr. Jane Goodall Barbie to replicate her look from the 1990s.

Designer Barbies

Oscar de la Renta (1984) Fashion Packs

In 1984, Oscar de la Renta was the first-ever fashion designer to design Barbie clothing and accessories that came in separate fashion packs. Recently, Barbie has expanded her reach to include fashions from international designers.

Richard Quinn Barbie (2021)

London fashion designer, Richard Quinn designed a ‘one-of-a-kind’ Barbie for his Autumn/Winter 2021 collection. The dress features hand-sew embroidery with intricate sparkly jewels and incorporated Barbie’s message of diversity and inclusivity.

Guo Pei Barbie (2022)

In 2022 Beijing-born couturier, Guo Pei designed her own culturally significant Barbie Signature doll as part of the Barbie Platinum label (only 5,000 dolls made) which had a hefty retail of $200. Barbie has since continued working with Guo Pei for both the 2022 and 2023 Barbie Lunar New Year dolls. (Read our Ultimate Lunar New Year Gift Guide here).

Barbie Making News Headlines

Barbie: The Exhibition also features Barbie making headlines in the news for positive changes, such as introducing inclusive body types to the Barbie Fashionista line.

Swipe through the carousel to see Barbie making headlines.

1. Andy Warhol: In 1986, Andy Warhol’s last painting was ‘Barbie, Portrait of Billy Boy’. The painting was named after the painter’s muse, Billy Boy who was an avid Barbie collector.

2. Vogue: Barbie’s so iconic she even had a whole Vogue issue in 2009 dedicated to telling her fashion story.

3. Time: Barbie made Time magazine’s front cover in 2016 with her new ‘breaking the mold’ body shape.

4. Bloomberg: The news of the live-action Barbie movie in July 2023 set Barbie on a world dominating tour to turn the world pink!

5. Forbes: Barbie made Forbes Power Women list of 2023 because she is just that iconic.

Diverse Barbies That Reflect Our World

Committed to diversity, Mattel released the first Barbie with Down Syndrome in April 2023 and released Barbie with a wheelchair and ramp in 2019 as part of their Barbie Fashionistas line.

The first ever Barbie with a wheelchair was ‘Share-A-Smile’ Becky in 1997 (see section: Miko, Kira & Lea) and in June 2019 saw the release of the first Barbie with prosthetic limbs (pictured below).

True to Life: The Realistic Proportions of the Barbie Fashionistas Line

On 28th January 2016, Mattel announced their new diverse line of Barbie Fashionistas featuring a wider range of body types to reflect our modern world of today. This saw three new body types introduced into the world of Barbie including, ‘Petite’, ‘Curvy’ and ‘Tall’ alongside the already recognised ‘Standard’ Barbie body type.

The Barbie Fashionistas line boasts a diverse range of dolls, creating 9 body types, 97 hairstyles and 35 skin tones over the years.

Driving to Malibu: The Many Vehicles of Barbie

Barbie has travelled the world on various methods of transport, traveling on her Dream Boat, Dream Plane and Dream Camper to her motor bike, bicycle and an ‘out-of-this-world’ space station rocket. She’s had cars you can only dream of from her signature pink Volkswagen Beetle to a British Mini Cooper, Cali Girl Jeep and her luxury Corvette Convertible to name just a few.

But Barbie’s also had multiple collaborations with European car manufacturers across her 65-year history. Often Barbie cars represent luxury with her Jaguar and Ferrari vehicles while other models like the modern Vespa and Fiat 500 reflect urban city living with their compactness and bring a fresh element to her modernised appeal. This then also directly reflects and relates back to Barbie’s main consumer – the young female audience.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Barbie Playsets Throughout The Eras

The few playsets on display were Barbie’s California Dream Surf n’ Shop Set from 1978 and Barbie’s Trendy Loft Playset from 1998. This loft playset defined the 90s era for trendy loft living and combined inexpensive pieces such as, the IKEA HATTEN table and a Butterfly chair to showcase Barbie’s 1990s postmodern influences.

Barbie: The Movie Fashion

The Inline Skating Barbie Outfit that Margot Robbie wore in the Venice Beach scenes in Barbie: The Movie was on also on display. This outfit was inspired by Hot Skatin’ Barbie released in 1994, seen here for a side-by-side comparison between the doll inspiration and the real-life outfit.

The outfits in Barbie: The Movie were designed by two-time Academy-Award winning British costume designer, Jacqueline Durran who has worked with Barbie director, Greta Gerwig previously in 2019’s Little Women which saw her win an Oscar for ‘Best Costume Design.’

Barbie Music & Games

Barbie Sings! from 1961 featured six songs sung by Barbie and Ken on three vinyl records. The Barbie Keys to Fame Game from 1963 saw players compete to become the ‘most famous Barbie’. Barbie’s career cards ranged from Ballerina and Movie Star to Nurse and Astronaut among others.

Shopping For Barbie

The Design Museum also hosts a Barbie shop with something for both kids and adult doll collectors to find. There’s new mini Barbieland toys and Ravensburger puzzles to Barbie books and an official Exhibition poster.

Personal Favourite Barbie Product From Barbie: The Exhibition

My name is Hannah Taylor and I’m thrilled to report on Barbie: The Exhibition for The Toy Coach Team. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.

Barbie Mini Van (1995)

The Barbie Mini Van from 1995 was an innovative invention which saw the back of the car open up to become a grill for a Barbie picnic, while the hood opened up for storage. The minivan also marked a time where Barbie no longer had the standard two-seater cars and included four-seats including a car seat for baby dolls.

Barbie’s Mini Van can also be seen in my mother’s Spanish catalogue from 1995. Here you can see all of its playset elements including furniture pieces and mini realistic accessories.

Growing up, I would spend hours flicking through the Barbie catalogue.
This was my dream Barbie vehicle!

Barbie’s Heading Back to Malibu

Happy Reading!
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