Barbie : The Exhibition Excursion
Step into Barbie’s iconic universe.
Bring your students to visit Melbourne Museum's newest exhibition to explore groundbreaking design, discover nostalgic cultural icons and experience six decades of fashion, architecture and innovation.
Students will experience
- Over 250 rare objects: A comprehensive look at rare and innovative dolls, packaging, and accessories spanning from 1959 to the present day.
- Archival design artifacts: Rare items direct from the Design Museum, London, including the very first Barbie Dreamhouse and a pristine 1959 ‘Number 1 Barbie’.
- Cultural representation & identity: Special edition Australian Barbies, including First Peoples sports champions and diverse contemporary figures.
- Immersive design environments: Explore architectural shifts, interior design, and fashion evolution across multiple decades.
Students will learn
- Industrial & fashion evolution: Analyse how materials, technology, and manufacturing processes have driven decades of product and fashion design.
- Social & ethical impacts: Investigate how consumer brands respond to changing societal expectations regarding body diversity, inclusivity, gender roles, and sustainability.
- Media & cultural analysis: Critically evaluate how marketing campaigns, symbolic styling, and mass media construct meaning and shape public perception for different audiences.
- How toys and material culture reflect stories of family life, diversity, careers and social roles across different eras.
Students will be provided
- Primary school students will receive an exclusive children’s trail booklet designed to spark curiosity and creativity.
Availability
Terms 4 & 1, Monday to Friday
Monday 30 November to Friday 14 May
Student information
Years F to 12, VCE, VCE VM, VPC, VET
Maximum 60 students
Bookings
$8 per student + education service fee
Call 13 11 02 or submit an online booking request
Exhibition
Self-guided exhibition visit
Victorian Curriculum Links
Foundation to Level 2
The Humanities – History
- identify examples of continuity and change by comparing the past and present VC2HH2S05
Design and Technologies
- how familiar products, services and environments are designed and produced by people to meet personal or local community needs and sustainability VC2TDE2S01
Levels 3 & 4
The Humanities – History
- ask a range of historical questions to identify evidence of the experiences of people in the past VC2HH4S01
Design and Technologies
- the role of people in design and technologies occupations and factors including sustainability that impact on the design of solutions to meet community needs VC2TDE4S01
Levels 5 & 6
Design and Technologies
- how people in design and technologies occupations consider competing ethical factors including sustainability in the design of products, services and environments VC2TDE6S01
Levels 7 to 10
Design and Technologies: Levels 7 to 8 and 9 to 10)
- how people in design and technologies occupations consider ethical factors to design and produce products, services and environments VC2TDE8S01
The Humanities – History
- sequence significant events, individuals, ideas and developments chronologically to explain continuity and change and causes and consequences VC2HH8S02
Media Arts: Levels 7 to 10
- investigate the ways that media arts concepts are used in media arts works to communicate ideas, perspectives and meaning across cultures, times, places and other contexts VC2AMA8E01
VCE Study Designs (Units 1–4)
- Visual Communication Design (Units 1 and 2)Visual Communication Design - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
- Analyse factors shaping design over time; examine professional design practices, branding, object design, and exhibition contexts.
- Product Design and Technologies (Units 1 and 2)Product Design and Technologies - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
- Evaluate commercial products for materials, aesthetics, and functionality, and explore how social, ethical, and cultural trends drive product design.
- Art Making and Exhibiting (Units 1 and 3)VCE Art Making and Exhibiting - Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
- Analyse visual language in design objects and examine how curators collect, preserve, and display material culture in museum spaces.
- Media (Units 1 and 2)
- Analyse symbolic codes in pop-culture icons, brand identities, media representations, and global franchises.
VCE Vocational Major (VM)
- Vocational Major Literacy (Units 1 and 2)
- Read, evaluate, and respond to multimodal museum texts, visual displays, branding, and pop-culture media.
- Vocational Major Work Related Skills (Units 1 and 2)
- Explore creative industries, design roles, manufacturing processes, and product life cycles from concept to global distribution.
- Vocational Major Personal Development Skills (Units 1 and 3)
- Examine how cultural icons reflect changing social identity, diversity, inclusion, and representation over time.
Accessibility
Please view our accessibility page for general information. A sensory map of Melbourne Museum can be found on our Visual Stories page where step-by-step visual and written access guides are available. Contact our team on 13 11 02 or email us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support your visit.
Museums Victoria Learning Access Fund
The Museums Victoria Learning Access Fund aims to enhance access to our museums (Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks and Immigration Museum), programs and events by offering free or subsidised education programs for eligible schools. Find out more about the fund.
Sign-up to Museum Teachers
Subscribe and get special offers, teacher news and free entry to all museums.
