a joint outreach project by Mattel and the ISS U.S. National Laboratory. The dolls were then donated by the toy company to the Smithsonian.
"These two space-flown Barbies have been added as a special addition to the toys case that has been on display in the McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center," Margaret Weitekamp, curator of the National Air and Space Museum's social and cultural history of spaceflight collection, said in an interview with collectSPACE.com.
The new additions differ from their previous counterparts in a few ways, beyond having spent time in space. Two Barbie dolls from Mattel's Space Discovery line spent several months on the International Space Station in March 2022.to look at the ways that they have been adjusted and accommodated to that microgravity environment, whether they have been lightened or had accessories taken off or adhered to them," she said.