10 fascinating things I learned about Barbie at her very own exhibit in NYC
While the world may feel like Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House these days, at this Manhattan museum, it’s Barbie’s universe. The Museum of Arts and Design in Columbus Circle is showcasing Barbie: A Cultural Icon, a sprawling, two-story exhibition that charts Barbie’s historic beginnings, her fashion eras and her future. It’s on view through March 16, 2025.
As someone who grew up playing with Barbies—and even collecting a few Barbies that remain in their precious plastic packaging—I learned so much about the ambitious doll at this exhibit. And best of all, it gave me a renewed hope that maybe someday we’ll achieve Barbie’s goal of showing all girls they can be anything they want to be. Here are 10 fascinating facts I leaned at the Barbie exhibition—go there and add a few of your own to the list.
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1. Barbie has a powerful origin story
Before Barbie, the only dolls for kids to play with were baby dolls. Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, noticed that the existing toy options limited the imaginations of girls like her daughter Barbara. She could act as a mom or a caregiver, while toys marketed to boys encouraged her son Kenneth to imagine himself as a firefighter, astronaut, doctor and more. Handler dreamed of something different.
“My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman had choices,” the late Handler is quoted saying at the exhibit.
And yes, the dolls were named after her children, Barbara (Barbie) and Kenneth (Ken).
2. She wasn’t an instant success
Back at the New York Toy Fair in 1959, Barbie made her debut with a black-and-white striped swimsuit and a ponytail. She was met with skepticism from toy buyers who didn’t think she’d sell, explained Barbara Paris Gifford, senior curator at Museum of Arts and Design.
But Mattel (the company founded by Handler, her husband, their business partner) kept advertising Barbie anyway and decided to appeal directly to kids, rather than to grown-up toy buyers. It worked. Kids saw the commercials during the Mickey Mouse Club, and thousands of dolls flew off the shelves and into living rooms across America.
3. Barbie debuted with 22 fabulous outfits
Ever the fashionista, Barbie’s 1959 debut included 22 ensembles created by a team of designers. Each outfit included a detailed outfit paired with tiny accessories. One of the most iconic was her Roman Holiday look featuring a denim skirt, a red-and-white striped jacket, a red headband, cat-eye glasses and a minuscule gold compact. Other early outfits included the “commuter set” complete with a red Barbie handbag, a flouncy red-and-white “Barbie-Q” outfit, the “evening splendor” kit with a fur-trimmed gown, an elegant wedding dress and a delicate nightgown. You can see all of them on display at the exhibit.
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4. Ken debuted because of fan requests
Barbie fans sent Mattel letters asking them to fix Barbie up, so they debuted Ken in 1961. Given the fact that his “job is beach,” as Ryan Gosling so elegantly explained, Ken arrived on the scene wearing red swim trunks and a small smile. Available in blonde, brunette or red-head, Ken became Barbie’s supportive boyfriend, ready to accompany her to everything from the beach to black-tie events.
5. Barbie’s Dream House had a point of view
Barbie’s original Dream House from 1962 was designed in bold hues and plaids that would have been avant-garde in that time. But it also came with a powerful perspective. There were university pennants on the walls showing that Barbie went to college. The bookshelf was packed with encyclopedias and fiction books, indicating Barbie’s academic rigor. A TV and turntable showed how Barbie was technologically advanced.
A few things were noticeably absent: There was no kitchen, and there was no nursery. Keep in mind, the Dream House debuted in an era when women couldn’t have a bank account or a mortgage without a co-signer.
“There’s definitely a point of view,” Gifford said “Barbie’s a little radical. Barbie’s a little progressive. This is the message that Ruth really wanted children to digest and dream about. The possibilities of what little girls could be exploded.”
At the exhibit, you can sit in a model of the Dream House (and even check out her car, too!).
6. The first Black doll debuted in 1968
Christie, the first Black doll in the Barbie universe, debuted in 1968. “Barbie and Christie became friends when most Black and white Americans still learned, worked, and lived separately,” the exhibit explains. But the Civil Rights movement was changing American society—and Christie, presented wearing a dashiki-inspired outfit, was a part of that.
“Christie delivered a powerful message simply by standing on the shelf,” per the exhibition.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until 1980 that women of color could see themselves represented in dolls actually named Barbie, not just friends of Barbie. In 1980, Black and Hispanic Barbies were introduced.
“When I designed Black Barbie doll, I wanted her to reflect what Black culture was,” designer Kitty Black Perkins is quoted at the exhibit saying. “When Black Barbie came out, it raised the bar on Black dolls.”
7. Barbie is a career woman
So far in her 65 years, Barbie has had 250 careers! Some of those include veterinarian, pediatric, surgeon, paleontologist and pilot. She also has served as an astronaut, landing on the moon in 1965, several years before the actual Moon Landing.
8. The best-selling Barbie might surprise you
Millennials may remember Totally Hair Barbie, the doll whose 10 1/2-inch long golden locks reached her toes. She came with hair crimping accessories, styling gel, pink heels and a 90s-inspired technicolor dress. She’s the best-selling Barbie in history.
9. Barbie is a presidential candidate
In every election year since 1992, Barbie has run for president. In 2016, she released an all-female ticket with a president and vice president doll meant to inspire girls to believe they can be anything.
10. Barbie is trying to close the Dream Gap
Barbie is a champion of the Dream Gap Project, which aims to give girls the resources and support to believe that they can be anything. That’s an important initiative because research shows that, starting at age five, many girls stop believing they can be anything they want to be.
The Barbie Dream Gap Project strives to highlight positive role models, conduct research, create inspiring content and give girls the resources they need to continue believing they can be anything they set their mind to. Here’s to girls and women tackling every job Barbie has had—and more.