Toys - Pink is more than just a color: 65 years of Barbie hype
These are the most famous 29 centimeter plastic figures in the world. Barbie is not just a toy legend, beauty ideal, and now also a film star. The doll is also frequently the subject of criticism. Often, Barbie has been scientifically studied. An exhibition now beginning at the Design Museum in London is dedicated to this phenomenon. It's a kind of birthday gift: Barbie turns 65 this year.
Retirement is not an option. Her team is already working on ideas for 2026, says Kim Culmone, Vice President of the US toy company Mattel. "Barbie is not a static object," emphasizes Culmone. Each year, 300 to 400 objects are produced in the Barbie universe. The challenge: Barbie must be timeless and contemporary at the same time. "The development of her face, hair, and movement is what we're focusing on," says the developer.
Once upon a time, Barbie was a fantasy: Barbie as an independent woman
The London exhibition not only traces how the figure has changed since the first doll was presented at a toy fair in 1959. The goal is to show how the "Barbie world" reflects the real, Western consumer world. Fashion, hairstyles, accessories, cars, and home furnishings are always a reflection of the times. And sometimes they are ahead of their time. A "dream house" showed Barbie in 1962 as an independent woman. "In reality, it was almost impossible for a woman to obtain a mortgage without a male co-signer," the exhibition label reads.
Curator Danielle Thom wants to examine the phenomenon "through a designer's lens." "The history of culture can be told through a toy," Thom says. This is about the development of the face, hair, and movement. About diversity. For a long time, there were only blonde, white Barbies, but the figures now have black skin and dark hair. One doll is in a wheelchair.
"Barbie is a design phenomenon," says Museum Director Tim Marlow. "The journey began at a toy fair, and now she's flying into space." Recently, astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti took a Barbie with her to the International Space Station ISS. The doll wore a spacesuit. By the way, this was not the first time: Several years before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969, there was - ahead of its time - an astronaut Barbie.
Everything is pink
At least since the Hollywood blockbuster "Barbie" with Margot Robbie in the title role, the most famous doll in the world is not just a social, but also a pop cultural phenomenon. Pink dominates: Director Marlow wears a pink blouse under his jacket. Several journalists came to the press preview in pink. Logical, which color dominates in the exhibition. Even the museum's exterior sign was adapted.
Barbie stands for records. One of the most sold dolls in history. Barbie has already represented more than 260 professions. She was an astrophysicist, musician, tennis player, and CEO. In 1973, the doll appeared as a doctor. At the time, fewer than ten percent of doctors in the US were women. "Girls can do anything," the Barbie slogan read in the 1980s, today it says more inclusively "You can be anything." The longtime partner Ken barely appears.
Nevertheless: From the beginning, Barbie faced criticism. Her legs too long, hips too narrow, breasts too large: The extremely slender doll propagates unrealistic body ideals, according to one of the most common criticisms. In reality, a woman with such measurements couldn't even walk straight. Barbie's "mother" Ruth Handler based the figure on the German doll "Bild-Lilli," which is based on a sexualized comic. The figure reinforces stigmatization and stereotypes of women, argue critics.
However, none of this is mentioned in the exhibition. Instead, Barbie is consistently portrayed as a progressive woman. Mattel, the manufacturer, is a partner of the show.
The company presents Barbie as a feminist icon. "She is presented as a role model for all," emphasizes the exhibition. Even Barbie's famous pink, long considered a "typical girl color," is given a new meaning: "In today's world of Barbie, pink signifies optimism, self-confidence, and the power of feminism." How much the color resonates is shown by the lavender-pink jersey of the German football team - a bestseller.
Design Museum on display
- The exhibition at the Design Museum in London focuses on Barbie, the iconic 29-centimeter plastic figure from Great Britain, celebrating her 65th birthday.
- Mattel, the USA-based toy company, continues to innovate in the Barbie universe, producing around 300 to 400 objects each year to keep the doll timeless and contemporary.
- The exhibition highlights how Barbie's fashion, hairstyles, accessories, cars, and home furnishings have mirrored Western consumer trends and occasionally preceded them.
- Curator Danielle Thom aims to analyze the Barbie phenomenon from a designer's perspective, exploring the development of the doll's face, hair, and movement, as well as diversity.
- The first Barbie doll, presented at a toy fair in 1959, was a fantasy of Barbie as an independent woman, although in reality, it was challenging for a woman to obtain a mortgage without a male co-signer.
- Mattel Director Tim Marlow sees Barbie as a design phenomenon, noting her journey from a toy fair exhibit to space travel, as evidenced by astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti bringing a Barbie doll to the International Space Station ISS.
- Barbie stands out as a pop cultural phenomenon, with pink being her dominant color, following her Hollywood portrayal in "Barbie" with Margot Robbie.
- Critics often contend that Barbie propagates unrealistic body ideals with her extreme slenderness, but the exhibition presents her as a progressive woman and a feminist icon, a role model for all.
