Barbie: The Exhibition coming to Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum
The exhibition celebrating one of the world's most famous dolls will go in display from 13th June 2026
Glasgow is set to become Barbie world next summer, as an exhibition celebrating the iconic doll comes to the city’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
Barbie®: The Exhibition will make its Scottish debut from 13th June 2026, and will explore the history and design of one of the world’s most famous toys – a story that started in 1959 when Ruth Handler wanted to craft a different narrative for her daughter, Barbara.
The Exhibition, which first opened in July 2024, was conceived and hosted by the Design Museum in London and curated by Danielle Thom.
It will feature over 150 dolls, including a rare Barbie from 1959, which will be the first people see as they enter the exhibition. Hand-painted and featuring Barbie in a black-and-white bathing suit, the doll on display is an especially rare first edition.
Other highlights range from the first Barbie that could ‘move’ to a unique Talking Barbie prototype and best-selling Totally Hair Barbie.
Exhibition will chart the evolution of Barbie over the years
These appear alongside several notable and distinctive dolls that explore the changing appearance of Barbie in relation to evolving cultural shifts around diversity and representation.
Showcasing fashion, architecture, furniture, vehicle design and many friends of Barbie, the exhibition will feature over 250 objects, from the very beginning to the present day. Originally designed by Sam Jacob Studio, the exhibition layout reflects the evolution of Barbie, charting the brand’s impact on design and culture in all its forms throughout the decades.
Bailie Annette Christie, Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “This will be the first time a Scottish museum has staged a major exhibition devoted to Barbie. Barbie is not just an icon but a creative force that has sparked excitement, ideas and conversations for decades. Glasgow Life is delighted to be working with the Design Museum and Mattel to give visitors an opportunity to get up close to some of the most significant and instantly recognisable Barbie dolls from nearly 70 years. For generations of Barbie fans and new audiences alike, this promises to be a joyful and memorable experience.”
"A joyful, fascinating, inspiring, illuminating and even nostalgic experience."
Tim Marlow, Director and CEO of the Design Museum, said: "Design has been at the heart of the Barbie story ever since the creation of the first doll 66 years ago and the impact has evolved with each new generation. Before we opened the exhibition at the Design Museum last year we expressed the hope that it would be a joyful, fascinating, inspiring, illuminating and even nostalgic experience for generations of Barbie fans – and it was all those things and more, with public interest exceeding even our confident expectations. I have no doubt that in another world class museum in Glasgow this engagement will continue and we look forward to seeing both the exhibition re-staged and new audiences encountering a re-framed cultural icon."
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