Cincinnati is saying, “Hi, Barbie!” after Cincinnati Museum Center announced a new featured exhibit showcasing the pop culture darling will open here next year.
Barbie™: A Cultural Icon will celebrate 60 years of the fashion and inspiration Barbie has contributed to the world. The exhibit will also highlight how Barbie is more than just a toy; as one of the most diverse doll lines in the world, Barbie has served as inspiration for children everywhere for over six decades, whether it was showing girls that they can be anything they want through a plethora of career-based dolls, offering space for imaginative play or just being a comforting source of childhood nostalgia.
“Barbie has defined childhoods for generations, but she’s larger than a childhood,” Elizabeth Pierce, president and CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center, said in a press release. “She represented you and everything you could be. That’s why we’re excited to bring Barbie™: A Cultural Icon to Cincinnati, so we can remind everyone, including Kens, of just how much Barbie has shown us is possible.”
Featuring a collection of over 300 Barbie artifacts, the exhibit will challenge audiences to rethink what they thought they knew about the doll and how society evolved from generation to generation, with Barbie serving as a reflection of change. Among the artifacts are 150 vintage dolls and life-sized fashion pieces that come to life through custom-themed displays, with video and media interviews with Barbie designers expanding the narrative.
The exhibit will feature some of the most famous Barbie dolls throughout history, with dolls from the collections of David Porcello, a private collector, and Mattel on display. Visitors can also expect photo ops, sharable moments, an original Barbie’s Dreamhouse and behind-the-scenes prototypes.
“Barbie has an amazing and inspiring history. There is a real sense of nostalgia when you see what was happening in the world, and in her world, when you were a kid — and then follow the story to how she’s impacting our world today,” Tim Clothier, CEO of Illusion Projects Inc., said in the release.
Barbie™: A Cultural Icon opens at Cincinnati Museum Center on April 4, 2025, and will run through Sept. 1, 2025. Presale tickets and holiday git packages are available now, and each Barbie Dream Package includes a premium ticket voucher with same-day, anytime entry and re-entry, plus Barbie sunglasses and a Malibu keychain.
Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., West End. Learn more about the exhibit at cincymuseum.org.
This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2024.
