Review: Sam Jacob gives Barbie a colourful 65th birthday at the Design Museum

‘We can probably put them back on eBay now,’ says Sam Jacob of the many Barbies his studio acquired during its design of the Design Museum’s new Barbie exhibition, held in partnership with Mattel to celebrate the doll’s 65^th anniversary.

Sam Jacob Studio has created an appealingly colourful and upbeat setting for this enjoyable show, which tells the design story of Barbie’s continued success. In doing so, the exhibition shows how the doll, and her universe of friends, outfits and dream houses, have reflected societal changes and helped Barbie become the cultural phenomenon she is today. As is to be expected, the colour pink, associated with the Barbie brand since the 1970s, is prominent in the exhibition design, along with many other colours from the 2024 Barbie colour palette. 

With the attention, quite rightly, on the star of the show herself, several of the references in the design of the exhibition are likely to go unnoticed by exhibition-goers.  Jacobs points out allusions to Ettore Sottsass in the plinth for the first Barbie that kicks off the exhibition, to Hans Hollein’s 1978 Museum of Glass and Ceramics in Tehran for the cylindrical design cases, and to Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory for the silver-walled final room. Perhaps the most eye-catching detail is the rather surreal chandelier made of three shades of Barbie hair – as Jacobs says, not quite Meret Oppenheim’s famous fur cup and saucer, but certainly going in that direction.

Given that most successful toy products last just 3-5 years according to Mattel senior vice president of design Kim Culmone, Barbie’s longevity is impressive. The design that underpins this success story is set out in the exhibition, from early patented drawings through Barbie’s many iterations since 1959. Sam Jacob Studio’s ‘pantheon’ of dramatically lit dolls gives a brief summary of her 65 year history before detailed exploration of the rigour that goes into her changing design, including face shape, hair style and skin colour (the first black and Hispanic Barbies were introduced in 1980). Over the decades she has become more articulated, and the first speaking Barbie was introduced in 1968.  There are now 35 skin tones and four body types. Barbie has become more diverse in other ways as well, including a Down’s Syndrome Barbie, dolls with a prosthetic limb, and a doll using a wheelchair.

We see her adoption (from 1961 onwards) of different careers from doctor to astronaut. Since 1992 Mattel has produced a presidential candidate every time there’s a US election. This year’s theme is Women in Film, following on from last year’s Barbie blockbuster film.

All these changes have helped her stay relevant, and Mattel clearly works hard to ensure that Barbie manages to be ‘both timely and timeless’ according to Culmone. This means never being too avant-garde and always being recognisable.

Fashion is a major strand to the Barbie story. Oscar de la Renta was the first designer to create an outfit for her in 1985 – and the exhibition explores Barbie’s adoption of many different styles through her countless iterations. All this is accompanied by other dolls from the Barbie universe including a case of Kens, little sister Skipper and some of her ever-widening circle of friends.

It’s not just about the 11.5inch doll, but the whole Barbie-verse of associated accessories, vehicles and houses, as well as the packaging and marketing process that supports them. Barbie even put out a record in 1961 and the vinyl is in the show – sample track title ‘My First Date’. Today, between 300 and 400 new items for the Barbie brand are generated by Mattel each year, with a 12 month journey to market.

Barbie’s first dream house in 1962 was decidedly mid-century modern, and interestingly had no kitchen. There’s a pleasing array of different houses from beach to ski cabin, town apartment to dream house in the exhibition, including an A-frame design that is thought to channel the early work of Frank Gehry. Interestingly, Mattel founders Ruth and Elliot Handler commissioned Gehry to design their own house, although it was never built. By the 1980s, the dream houses had become altogether grander and pinker confections, veering towards the neo-classical.

The fame and influence of Barbie is shown in the final, silver, room of the exhibition. She’s shown on the cover of Time and Vogue and on the Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2023. As BarbieStyle on Instagram, she is a fashion influencer with several million followers. Mattel’s Barbie Dream Gap Project seeks to challenge gender stereotypes and promote girl empowerment.

It’s more than a decade since Mattel launched its Architect Barbie, and, says curator Danielle Thom, while some play sets have begun to include recycling bins and there is increasing use of recycled plastic, her houses are yet to fully embrace eco-led principles. Perhaps, at a time of climate emergency, Barbie should turn her activism and considerable clout towards design sustainability, and do her bit by designing her very own eco-green house.

Barbie^®: The Exhibition, until 23 February 2025, Design Museum 224-238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG