She’s been a lawyer, a veterinarian, a journalist, an astronaut and so much more. She’s Barbie!
Her life is on display at “Out of the Box: A Barbie Doll Retrospective” at the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University. The exhibition includes nearly 200 dolls, three Barbie Dreamhouses and two life-size models of Dreamhouses. It explores 66 years of her iconic fashion and delves into the people and artistry that created her. It also includes collectible Barbies on loan from the public.
The Barry already has an extensive antique doll collection, and with the 2023 hit movie, “Barbie,” it seemed natural to salute the doll, said curator Sara Woodbury.
The museum partnered with Barbie expert and collector Bradley Justice Yarbrough, an eBay antique toy seller in Durham, North Carolina, and Toymeister in Virginia Beach.
Ruth Handler created Barbie for Mattel. She came up with the idea while observing her daughter, Barbara, playing with fashion paper dolls in the 1950s, which got her thinking about a 3D doll.
While visiting Germany with her family, Handler noticed a Bild Lilli doll. The doll, Lilli, originated as a comic strip character in a 1952 German newspaper. She was a stylish, shapely and independent working woman. Because of the comic strip’s popularity, the character became a novelty doll for adults, although some children played with them. Handler recognized its potential.
Barbie debuted in 1959 with a similar body shape but was marketed to children with an emphasis on fashion and storytelling. Unlike the Bild Lilli doll, Barbie clothes were sold separately, Woodbury said. In 1964, Mattel acquired the rights to Bild Lilli and ceased its production.
Barbie’s reputation is high fashion. The creativity of her early designers, Charlotte Johnson and Kitty Black, is highlighted with clothes ranging from stylish suits to jeweled gowns. Woodbury said Perkins also created the first Black Barbie.
Life-size fashions are also displayed. Norfolk resident Beth Vinson loaned a collection of Barbie-styled clothes she modeled in local mall fashion shows in the early 1980s. Ken dolls and even his friend, Allan, are included.
Visitors can step inside Barbie’s Dreamhouse, built by the college’s Department of Communication and Theatre Arts. With rare collector editions and vintage favorites, the exhibit invites visitors to enter Barbie’s ever-changing world, reflecting and redefining beauty, fashion and identity across generations.
Out of a Box: a Barbie Retrospective continues until July 31.
