All Dolled Up: Get a Peek Inside the World of Barbie

TORONTO—Over the past 60-plus years, Barbie has been an astronaut, a pilot, a firefighter, a journalist, and an entrepreneur. Now, she’s an immersive experience.

World of Barbie made its global debut on July 22 in a stand-alone space at Square One, Mississauga, just outside Toronto. Inspired by the iconic plastic doll’s lifestyle, the 30,000-square-foot immersive attraction features life-size installations, including her famous dream house, TV studio, airline, and camper van.World of Barbie made its global debut on July 22 in a stand-alone space at Square One, Mississauga, which is open to the public through the rest of summer.Photo: Courtesy of Kilburn LiveGuests can explore a giant version of the Barbie Dream House. There's a patio featuring beach chairs under bright umbrellas, a pool filled with plastic balls and a waterslide, and a stocked fridge.Photo: Courtesy of Kilburn Live

As we’ve seen recently, more and more brands—from OREO to Pizza Hut—have been embracing nostalgia when designing events and activations as they try to create a sense of comfort among consumers during these tumultuous times. This also might explain why Barbie is bigger than ever right now.

Barbiecore (a fashion trend with lots of pink, naturally) started spiking on Google in June, Forever21 hosted a Barbie Dream House-inspired launch party for its Barbie Summer 2022 collection, and the buzz keeps growing for the highly anticipated 2023 Barbie movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.

“There is a lot going on in the world right now, and with so much uncertainty, there is a true need for moments of pure joy such as what guests experience in World of Barbie,” said Jonathan Sanford, COO of Kilburn Live, the live entertainment company behind World of Barbie. “Barbie is iconic and timeless, and the brand has been a treasured part of many people’s lives. Given that fact, it was a perfect time to work with a brand that is so beloved to create this experience.”The Dream House features a modern, beachy aesthetic throughout the rooms.Photo: Courtesy of Kilburn LiveThe Barbie Interstellar Airways installation features a space shuttle complete with pink seats and a control board where visitors can track objects on radar and report back to mission control.Photo: Courtesy of Kilburn Live

Produced in collaboration with Mattel, World of Barbie—which has been in development for over three years—stands out in the highly competitive experiential market thanks to the household brand name, its appeal to a broad audience, and, of course, the cute factor.

Visitors can strut down a pink carpet and pose inside several life-size doll boxes designed around various Barbie professions and hobbies, like movie director and mermaid, each with the tagline, “You Can Be Anything.” An on-site museum with a selection of Barbie collectibles (think: vintage cars and dream houses from different decades) will also showcase the evolution of the doll. And because guests are sure to work up an appetite, there's a cafe where visitors can have tea with their Barbies.

In a fun, interactive touch, visitors are able to create their own customized Barbie set (for an additional cost), selecting from dozens of dolls, fashions, and accessories.

Visitors can pose inside several life-size doll boxes designed around various Barbie professions and hobbies like movie director and mermaid, each with the tagline, “You Can Be Anything.”Photo: Courtesy of Kilburn Live

Visitors have an opportunity to interview guests, deliver the weather report, and broadcast breaking news from a teleprompter on set at the Barbie TV Center.Photo: Courtesy of Kilburn Live“We have worked closely with Mattel and specialty builders from around the globe to not only create life-size versions of her playset, but also expand upon those sets to create never-before-seen immersive Barbie environments,” Sanford said.

After its Canadian debut and summer run, the experience will hit the road and travel to several cities across North America, including New York, Chicago, and Dallas. Adult tickets range from $33-$52.50 CAD.

“The biggest challenge for traveling experiences such as World of Barbie is ensuring the show is built in such a way that it feels permanent, but can be reconfigured to fit in a variety of venues,” Sanford explained. “The venues themselves are challenging to identify, so it is important when designing and building the show itself to ensure it is as versatile as possible so that we do not inadvertently eliminate an otherwise great venue and location.”

Visitors can get in the driver’s seat in a full-size camper van built by car customization shop West Coast Customs.Photo: Courtesy of Kilburn Live

Inside the music production studio, visitors can play DJ and jam out to some tunes.Photo: Courtesy of Kilburn Live