Showcasing nostalgic favourites from the past four decades as well as the latest dolls and accessories, the exhibition will take place at Argos’s Old Street store in London.

Open from 6th to 13th March, the exhibition is free to attend, and will be open from 08:30-20:00 daily. Adults and children alike can enjoy seeing how Barbie has changed throughout the years to reflect pop culture and fashion through retro looks, and how the iconic doll continues to evolve today.

With more than 200 careers in 60 years, from athlete to astronaut, paediatrician to president, in 2019 Barbie continues to diversify and take on aspirational and culturally relevant roles which encourage children to be whatever they want to be. She first branched out career-wise in the 1960s when, as an astronaut, she went to the moon – four years before Neil Armstrong. Although only 24% of today’s STEM careers are held by women, Barbie’s job history has included a computer engineer, video game developer and a Mars explorer over the years.

Juliet Ward, head of toy buying at Argos commented: “Argos has been synonymous with toys for over 45 years, and for decades, Barbie has been a catalogue favourite. Argos has stocked over 150 varieties of the iconic doll and it continues to remain one of our best-selling toy brands, resonating with every generation. The Argos Barbie Exhibition is a wonderful display of not only how Barbie has evolved, but how the brand continues to inspire the limitless potential in every child.”

Argos has reported that last year’s most popular Barbie was Rainbow Lights Mermaid. This year’s best-seller is the Fashionista range, with added diversity and more variety in styles, fashions, shoes and accessories plus a range of body types, skin tones, eye colours, hairstyles and accessories making Barbie the most diverse fashion doll on the market. The Dream Camper remains the most popular Barbie accessory, and has been stocked by Argos since the 1980s.