Having over 250 inspirational careers and wearing over one billion outfits spanning six decades, Barbie is the most popular fashion doll ever produced. Created by Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler in 1959, the female phenomenon has inspired young girls to grow up to be anything they want to be.
Behringer-Crawford Museum (BCM) is celebrating the iconic doll’s milestone with a special Wednesday evening edition of NKY History Hour, “Celebrating 65 Years of Barbie,” Wednesday, July 24 at 6:30 p.m. with BCM Education Director, Kimberly Gehring-Cook.
Join in for a nostalgic and enlightening journey through the history of one of the world’s most illustrious toys. Barbie has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions. Now, you can delve into her fascinating story with an expert who has been a Barbie enthusiast since childhood.
Register and participate in the free presentation by Behringer-Crawford Museum online.
Information on connecting to the Zoom session will be sent after registration. The event will also be streamed live on BCM’s Facebook page. All recordings of past episodes can be viewed at www.bcmuseum.org.
Kimberly Gehring-Cook has been Behringer-Crawford Museum’s education director for nearly eight years. She previously taught reading and art at Covington Latin School for 18 years. She holds a BA in English and art, and a MEd in secondary education from Xavier University.
Gehring-Cook has been a Barbie enthusiast since she was four years old. Throughout high school, her Barbie townhouse, pool, RV and other accessories remained in her room, where she adorned them with hand-made holiday decorations. It was the Holiday Barbie series that first sparked her interest in collecting Barbie dolls instead of viewing them as toys.
Much of her collection, including the Barbie and Snoopy the Red Baron set, the Peter Rabbit 100th Anniversary Barbie, several from the Inspired By the Painting Series, and Barbie and Ken as Romeo and Juliet, are featured in the exhibit at BCM. Gehring-Cook continues to enjoy collecting Barbie dolls, now sharing this passion with her daughters. She resides in Cincinnati.
NKY History Hour programs take place every other Tuesday evening from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and are free to the public. To support NKY History Hour and access many other entertaining and thought-provoking programs for free, join BCM today.
Behringer-Crawford Museum