Commemorating the iconic doll’s 50th anniversary, the highlights of the new exhibition is an Andy Warhol painting of Barbie and interactive fashion shows. The exhibit areas include fashion studio lobby, Barbie the fashion icon, design center, share a Barbie memory, backstage with Barbie, runway show, the pink vault, and designers workshop.
Fashion studio lobby is a chic setting to welcome families to the lobby featuring two showcases filled with memorabilia representing 50 years of Barbie, including dolls designed by top names in the fashion industry such as Bob Mackie, Bill Blass and Kate Spade. Barbie the fashion icon will feature four haute couture designs from the Barbie 50th Anniversary Runway Show, displayed along with photos of their designers: Betsey Johnson, Nicole Miller, Rachel Roy and Koi Suwannagate.
In the design center, families and children can design fashions for Barbie and learn the process of taking an idea from the workroom to the runway. Children and families will be able to share memories, watch Barbie commercials from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, and view displays of vintage dolls, outfits and play sets in share a Barbie memory.
Visitors will learn what happens in the front and back of house at a real runway show through making lighting, photography, and music design decisions. Young fashionistas will be able to put their knowledge to the test and do the runway jobs they have learned about, or mix and match fashions and star in their own runway show in the runway show section.
Inside the Pink Vault, visitors will see some of the rarest, most collectible dolls and artifacts. Fifty years of dolls, clothing and accessories will be on display, along with Andy Warhol’s 1985 Barbie portrait—one of the most famous items in the vault.
Designers Workshop will allow in-depth facilitated design experiences for families. The ticketed sessions focus on creating fashions using patterns, cutting fabric and building outfits.
Barbie was introduced to the world at the 1959 New York Toy Fair. Creator Ruth Handler said the doll, based on the German Bild Lilli dolls, represented that women had choices.
The exhibit runs through February 2011.
