Barbie The Celebration of an Icon

A beautifully designed coffee table book celebrating the one and only Barbie™

This official Mattel book celebrates the life and contributions of Barbie. With hundreds of images and sections ranging from Style Icon, Barbie Evolution, and Fashion as well as a detailed timeline and a section of factoids and tidbits, this gorgeous book will please Barbie aficionados while also rewarding casual fans.

Pop icon, fashion muse, and role model Barbara Millicent Roberts—known to the world simply as “Barbie”—continues to fascinate generations worldwide. Since her introduction in 1959, she has constantly evolved to embrace the changing times, becoming increasingly inclusive and representative of women today.

Barbie: The Celebration of an Icon charmingly explores the social and aesthetic trends that Barbie has embodied from the 1950s to present day in areas including fashion, society, art, and costume.

As the introduction by author, curator, and museum director Massimiliano Capella notes: In the year she turns sixty-five (2024), Barbie continues her transformations and evolutions, progressing with the times, ever faithful to her intrinsic nature as a fashion icon, but increasingly inclusive, keenly attentive to social and global themes and issues, such as diversity and gender equality, true to her longtime motto, timelier than ever: “You can be anything.”

A companion book dedicated to Ken will follow in 2025.

Author, curator, and museum director Massimiliano Capella particularly explores the relationship between visual arts and fashion, creating unprecedented events that combine clothes and costumes with works of art.