Barbie’s Space Journey Celebrated in New Exhibit
A Barbie doll that journeyed into space will be showcased for the first time in the Design Museum’s upcoming exhibition, commemorating the 65th anniversary of the iconic doll brand.
This special Barbie represents European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Europe’s first female commander of the International Space Station (ISS). The doll spent six months orbiting Earth on the ISS with Cristoforetti in 2022. The 47-year-old former Italian air force fighter pilot shared her enthusiasm with the PA news agency, saying, “I think it’s a great achievement for the overall team to have this Barbie on display and to have it connect to many more people through this exhibition.”
Inspiring future generations
Cristoforetti returned to the ISS in April 2022 for her second mission, Minerva, during which she conducted her first spacewalk, becoming the first European woman to do so. During her mission, she engaged with five young girls, answering their questions about becoming an astronaut. This interaction will be featured in Barbie: The Exhibition alongside the space-traveled doll.
“This is an opportunity to reach out to girls and boys to share the experience of an astronaut as a potential path in life, as a potential future, as a potential career… or as an adventure that you can be part of,” Cristoforetti explained to PA.
In 2021, Mattel and the ESA released the Samantha Cristoforetti Barbie doll to coincide with World Space Week, aiming to inspire the next generation of astronauts, engineers, and space scientists. The doll on display in London is on loan from the ESA, highlighting Barbie’s long-standing relationship with space exploration.
Barbie’s astronaut history
The exhibition will feature notable Barbie space memorabilia, including the silver “Miss Astronaut” costume from 1965, Barbie’s first depiction as an astronaut. Another notable display is the 1985 Barbie in a metallic pink spacesuit, released following astronaut Sally Ride’s historic spaceflight.
Danielle Thom, curator of Barbie: The Exhibition, emphasized the importance of showcasing the doll’s history of exploration and adventure. “There was a one of a kind Barbie created for Samantha personally in the first instance, and that’s in her possession, that’s her doll,” Thom explained. The exhibition will include one of the commercially available dolls that actually orbited Earth aboard the ISS.
A comprehensive exhibition
The exhibition aims to provide a thorough and rigorous take on Barbie’s history. “We collaborated with Mattel very closely to get all the relevant information to honor the work that the brand itself has done,” Thom added. Barbie: The Exhibition will also display the highly sought-after “Number 1 Barbie,” alongside other iconic dolls like the 1971 Sunset Malibu Barbie, the 1985 Day to Night Barbie, and the 1992 Totally Hair Barbie.
Exhibition dates
Barbie: The Exhibition will open at the Design Museum on July 5, 2024, and run until February 23, 2025, exploring the brand’s cultural impact over the decades.