TULSA, Okla. — From the 1950′s to the present, Barbie’s evolution is on full display in the Tulsa Arts District.
“This is a number one Barbie, this is the first Barbie from 1959, this particular example is so early in Barbie that her face is actually hand painted, they had about five to six Japanese that were hand painting for the first few months until they got stencils, and to make her even more rare, for every three blondes they made, they only made one brunette,” said JD Houchens.
Houchens is the owner and curator of the Vintage Barbie Museum.
He’s been collecting Barbie’s since he was six.
“I’ve been collecting for 31 years, and my collection has grown over time,” Houchens said.
Now, he was over 200 Barbie’s, each with their own story being brought back to life.
“You have to remember, a lot of these dolls and outfits have been in children’s possessions for 50-60 years, so they have cared for that long,” Houchens said.
He may just be Ken, but the collection wouldn’t be a 10 without an original Ken.
“This is Barbie’s boyfriend Ken who was invited in 1961,” Houchens said.
And of course, an original Allan.
“He was only available from 1964 to 1966,” Houchens said.
Most of the collection is from different sells and markets.
“For me, that’s part of the fun of Barbie, collecting, finding them out in the wild, also the personal stories,” Houchens said. “When I meet the original owners and they get this sense of pride because they feel like they are passing something on.”
The exhibit is a step inside Barbie’s timeless adventures.
“She is a snapshot of pop culture in time, you can take a doll from any year, any outfit from any year and that is what we were doing at that time as country,” Houchens said.
The Barbie’s will be on display until January 31.
Admission into the exhibit is free.
The hours of the pop-up can be found on their Instagram and Facebook pages.
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