“Barbieland” in Los Angeles refers to a real-life, immersive, fan-focused experience called World of Barbie. It was located in Santa Monica in 2023. We loved the life-size Barbie Dreamhouse, Barbie camper van, a fashion studio, and the museum showcasing Barbie’s history. This journey started with a welcome film in an all-pink-themed theater. This traveling exhibition featured core dream wardrobe included a wall filled with her tiny, plastic shoes.
The museum exhibit cases displayed the first 1959 Barbie, first careers, and Fashionistas. Some of our favorite Barbies were based on historic, notable women like Ida B. Wells, Billie Jean King, and Madame Walker. The “What is the dream gap?” left guests wondering about future, real-life opportunities for women.
We had this journey into this dreamland where you could interact with some incredible large-scale exhibits. There were some great photo opportunities, such as the famous Barbie box and miniature Hollywood sets.
Barbie was the movie filmed at LA County locations from Downtown LA to Venice to Long Beach. It’s no coincidence that many of the locations are historic sites. You can visit these landmarks and keep the tradition alive. Where do you want World of Barbie to go next?
The Academy Museum is exibiting Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer from May 23, 2025–Oct 25, 2026 on Level 3 (L3) presented in the Rolex Gallery. This exhibit “is an immersive and experiential look at the works of one of the most distinctive production design teams working today. Focusing on their artistic vision and range, the exhibition highlights Greenwood and Spencer’s process and shows how they develop the overall look and visual concept of a movie and collaborate to create unique environments and settings that convey time, place, and character. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the impact of production designers and set decorators on a film and will leave with a greater understanding of their work.”