Come on Barbie, let's go party — in Richmond
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
It's Barbie World in Richmond for the next few months. Image: Courtesy of Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Barbie World is coming to Richmond via a museum exhibition that opens Saturday at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.
Why it matters: Richmond is the only stop in the Mid-Atlantic for the traveling exhibition — and locals only have about three months to see it.
Driving the news: "Barbie: A Cultural Icon" traces the iconic doll's evolution from her 1959 debut through decades of changing fashion and cultural expectations.
- Visitors can sees more than 250 vintage dolls, outfits and accessories — plus the original Barbie and Dreamhouse.
- The exhibit also features a life-size pink 1984 Corvette and a Barbie box, so locals can create their own Barbie moment.
Zoom in: There's even a local and historic twist (VMHC is a museum, after all).
- Six dolls on display have Virginia connections and will be displayed alongside artifacts that help tell their stories.
- Among them: Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald and George Washington (y'all, there's a George Washington Barbie).
- UVA and Virginia Tech cheerleader Barbies also made the cut.
What's next: The museum is going all-in on pink with themed events, including an adults-only "Think Pink" costume party on Oct. 30.
If you go: The exhibition opens Saturday, Oct. 17, and runs through Jan. 18. Admission is $15 for non-member adults.