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Barbie Travels To Space And Now Exhibited At The Smithsonian
BARBIE TRAVELS TO SPACE AND NOW EXHIBITED AT THE SMITHSONIAN
This Barbie is an astronaut. This Barbie is a scientist. This Barbie is a Smithsonian star. "Barbie Goes to Space" is his story that began in 1965 when Miss Astronaut debuted. This early space Barbie was actually a space suit meant to be an addition to existing dolls, but it came out surprisingly timely. The first female astronaut Valentina Tereshkova was released just two years after her. Nearly 70 years later, Barbie is still exploring the final frontier, this time in the form of a plastic figure. Today, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum houses two Barbie dolls of her who actually flew into space on her Dream Star mission, a joint project between Mattel and her NASA that empowers girls in STEM fields. I'm here.
Barbie really had to prepare to go to space. Each of the two dolls wore a Soyuz-inspired cosmonaut suit, and no accessories were allowed. Her hair was cut short and pinned up. The dolls explored the International Space Station, including a vegetable garden, a minus 80 degree research freezer, and a dome window (an observation module with amazing video). After orbiting the Earth for months, the dolls are back in their plastic paradise.
The two space travellers are now on display alongside Miss Astronaut's 1965 suit and two other space Barbie dolls. Perhaps the most impressive is the 1980s astronaut Barbie. He preferred to go from clubs to space rather than staying up nights from his job. In fact, long before she was the first American woman to go to space, and long before she challenged stereotypes of women in science, Barbie has always been a space tourist in the minds of Mattel and young children.
With the release of the movie Barbie, blonde Barbie dressed in pink is now everywhere. But Barbie is more than just an American blonde. She was brunette, wore an afro, was in a wheelchair, and had Down syndrome. Her acting hasn't always worked out, but Barbie is clearly more than a doll. Her history is rich and varied, but she is perhaps what she is best known for having had nearly every career she has ever had. Many of these deceptions took place long before women were officially employed in medicine, veterinary medicine, politics, or the workplace in general. But her career is more than just an illusion. Barbie dolls helped European scientists study parabolic flight in zero gravity. Like any doll, she teaches children empathy. At the Smithsonian Institution, Barbie didn't just fly into space, she's been exploring new frontiers for decades.