FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 3, 2025
Barbie brings 250 dolls and generations of memories to Cincinnati
Barbie™: A Cultural Icon opens at Cincinnati Museum Center tomorrow
CINCINNATI - Cincinnati Museum Center is unboxing its newest featured exhibition.
Barbie™: A Cultural Icon celebrates 66 years of fashion and inspiration, showcasing how Barbie is more than just a doll, she is a cultural icon. Step back into your childhood and embark on a six-decade evolution and the making of a global phenomenon. Barbie™: A Cultural Icon opens Friday at Cincinnati Museum Center.
Today, Barbie® is the most diverse doll line on the market, inspiring girls to imagine everything they can become. A role model, a muse, a best friend – Barbie means something to everyone. Barbie™: A Cultural Icon celebrates Barbie as a reflection of culture, featuring a collection of over 300 artifacts from the 66-year history of Barbie. The exhibition is filled with photo ops and shareable moments throughout, plus an original Barbie DreamHouse™, behind-the-scenes prototypes and some of the most famous Barbie dolls throughout history. 
“Barbie has defined childhoods for generations, but she’s larger than a childhood,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president & CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “She represented you and everything you could be. That’s why we’re excited to bring Barbie™: A Cultural Icon to Cincinnati, so we can remind everyone, including Kens, of just how much Barbie has shown us is possible.”
Through the exhibition, you are challenged to rethink what you knew about Barbie and reflect on how society has evolved with each generation. Among the artifacts included are more than 250 vintage dolls and life-sized fashion pieces that come to life through custom-themed displays. Video and media interviews with Barbie designers expand the narrative. Barbie dolls featured from the collections of David Porcello, a private collector, and Mattel will be on display.
“Barbie has an amazing and inspiring history. There is a real sense of nostalgia when you see what was happening in the world, and in her universe, when you were a kid – and then follow the story to how she’s impacting our society today,” said Tim Clothier, CEO of Illusion Projects Inc.
For those looking for the full Barbie experience, Barbie Dream Packages are available, featuring a Premium Ticket (with same-day anytime entry and reentry) plus Barbie sunglasses and a Malibu keychain.
Barbie™: A Cultural Icon is open through September 1 at Cincinnati Museum Center. Tickets and Barbie Dream Packages are available at cincymuseum.org/barbie.
Barbie™: A Cultural Icon is produced by Illusion Projects Inc. in collaboration with leading global toy company Mattel®.
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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized, award-winning institution housed in a National Historic Landmark. CMC is a vital community resource that sparks curiosity, inspiration, epiphany and dialogue. CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012, one of a select few museums in the nation to receive both honors. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, The Children’s Museum, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, Cincinnati History Library and Archives and the Geier Collections and Research Center. Housed in historic Union Terminal – a National Historic Landmark restored in 2018 and recognized as the nation’s 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects – CMC welcomes more than 1.8 million visits annually, making it one of the most visited museums in the country. For more information, visit cincymuseum.org.
