Barbie exhibition opening in Scotland for first time offers ‘hit of nostalgia’

An exhibition charting the evolution of Barbie offers a “riot of colour” and a “hit of nostalgia” for all ages, curators have said.

Barbie: The Exhibition, set to open in Scotland for the first time, explores the history of the doll from 1959 to the present day and features items including clothes, vehicles and playsets.

The show, which has more than 150 dolls exhibited, opens at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow on Saturday and runs until October 18.

A rare, hand-painted first edition Barbie is among the objects on display, alongside the first black, Hispanic and Asian versions of the doll.

Airline Barbie and space Barbie dolls are among the items on display (Jane Barlow/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jane Barlow

Rare Barbie Dreamhouses and accessories will also be on show, as will the first Barbie with Down’s Syndrome and the first in a wheelchair.

The exhibition is presented by Glasgow Life in partnership with the Design Museum, London and Mattel.

Danielle Thom, senior curator at the Design Museum, told the Press Association: “It’s now 67 years since the doll was first introduced in 1959 and the story we’re telling here is fundamentally a design story, because the Barbie doll is an object that is designed, and the furniture and the fashions and all of the accessories that go along with it are designed with intent and with care.

“But Barbie has, of course, had an outsized cultural impact and cultural presence over these last 67 years, and so inevitably Barbie has had an impact on design as well as being shaped by it, so that two-way relationship between the doll, the doll’s world, and the wider world of design is the story that we’re telling here.”

Barbie: The Exhibition features more than 150 dolls (Jane Barlow/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jane Barlow

On the exhibition, she said: “Overall it’s a riot of colour, and I think that visitors of all ages will be able to get a hit of nostalgia, regardless of which era of Barbie they are most familiar with from their childhood.”

Other highlights of the show include some of the most popular dolls over the decades, ranging from the 1971 Sunset Malibu Barbie to the 1985 Day to Night Barbie, whose pink work suit could be transformed into an evening gown.

Also on show will be two examples of 1992’s Totally Hair Barbie, whose long hair reached down to her toes.

Jane Rowlands, head of museums and collections at Glasgow Life, which runs the museum, said the exhibition will appeal to a a wide range of people.

She said: “There are people who will remember playing with the doll and inventing their own world of Barbie when they were children, but also we’ve got a newer audience given the recent film a couple of years ago.

A number of Ken dolls are also on display (Jane Barlow/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jane Barlow

“Over a number of generations, people have enjoyed playing with Barbie, playing with Barbie’s friends and the dream houses and the vehicles, so there really is something for everybody, whether you’re interested in fashion or design or the cultural history over the past 60 years.”

Many of Barbie’s friends also feature in the exhibition, including a section dedicated to Ken which explores how he has evolved since he made his debut in 1961.

There is also a Barbie Land section, with features costumes from the 2023 Barbie film.

Bailie Annette Christie, chairwoman of Glasgow Life, said: “We know this exhibition will be one of the standout cultural experiences of the summer, attracting visitors from across Glasgow, Scotland and beyond.”

Tim Marlow, director and chief executive of the Design Museum, said: “Before we opened the exhibition at the Design Museum in 2024, we expressed the hope that it would be a joyful, fascinating, inspiring, illuminating and even nostalgic experience for generations of Barbie fans – and it was all those things and more, with public interest exceeding even our confident expectations.

“I have no doubt that, in another world-class museum in Glasgow, this engagement will continue and we look forward to seeing both the exhibition restaged and new audiences encountering a reframed cultural icon.”

Tickets for the exhibition are available at glasgowlife.org.uk/barbie.