Can Barbie Deliver An Immersive Brand Experience?
On April 14, a 20,000 square-foot attraction, “World of Barbie,” opened in Santa Monica offering interactive installations which let customers visit Barbie’s Dreamhouse, board a space shuttle and more.
With entry prices starting at $25.50 for kids and $34.50 for adults, the experience was imagined by entertainment company Kilburn Live, Barbie-parent Mattel and talent agency IMG. It follows a launch and nearly three-month run in Toronto that drew over 100,000 guests. It arrives as a “Barbie” movie starring Margot Robbie is set to reach theaters in July.
The experience is on tour and will eventually reach New York, Chicago and other cities.
“This is a world, a world built specifically for Barbie fans so they can experience what it is like to walk into a life-sized Barbie playset,” said Mark Manuel, Kilburn Live’s CEO, in a news release.
Highlights include a:
- Life-size Barbie Dreamhouse complete with a patio, pool and walk-in closets filled with Barbie outfits over the years;
- Paul Mitchell Salon offering Barbie-glam hairstyling;
- Bubble-gum pink camper van including a hammock for lounging;
- Fashion studio where guests walk the pink carpet and pose inside one of six Barbie boxes with themes like “Western” and “fashionista;”
- Museum exhibit where guests learn how Barbie has evolved since arriving in 1959;
- Gift shop selling Barbies and accessories featuring the trendy “Barbicore” pink aesthetic.
Special events include “Sips after Sunset” cocktails for guests over 21 and “Pink Carpet Night” dance parties.
The “World of Barbie” taps into the “immersive experiences” trend, which can be seen recently in the arrival at Mall of America this summer of “Wink World,” billed as an art exhibit where “psychedelic art house meets carnival funhouse” and the “Museum of Illusions” optical attraction.
Some other popular immersive pop-ups in the recent past have been dedicated to Princess Diana and artist Vincent van Gogh as well as hot entertainment properties such as Stranger Things, Friends and The Office.
“This trip is not just for young girls,” Lucy Treadway, producer for Kilburn Live, told Reuters. “It’s for grownups too.”