Barbie is 65 years old this year – confusing perhaps, for anyone who thought that celebrations had peaked a year ago with the release of. That, it turns out, was a mere prelude, a garland among many bestowed on Barbie, who was last year named amongAs her longevity proves, Barbie is serious business, and manufacturer Mattel reported that the blockbuster film boosted sales by 9 per cent to $1.9bn during the first quarter following its release.
From here, curator Danielle Thom launches straight into Barbie’s history, in a small but well set-out gallery emphasising not only the cutting-edge manufacturing techniques used in the dolls’ design and production, but Barbie’s importance as a cultural and social phenomenon, and perhaps even as a feminist hero.
With emotional baggage like this, it was with some trepidation that I searched through doll after lovely doll, each exquisitely displayed in designer Sam Jacob Studio’s fashion boutique-toyshop of dreams mashup, to eventually locate Peaches ‘N Cream, surrounded by several other equally opulent 1980s colleagues. Fears that I might now see mass-produced plastic where once I saw goddess-like perfection were safely allayed. Nearly 40 years later, she’s still got it.