Barbie Store, Shanghai

A New Year's Eve treat... and feast for the eye:

For just the "gawk and gasp" treat, I discovered the Barbie store in Shanghai, China ages ago and this has been in my inspiration-need-to-blog files...

Mattel installed a Barbie store in Shanghai, China to mark its 50th anniversary... complete with psychedelic pink escalator..

here

here

This flagship contains a spa, cafe, design studio, fashion stage and thousands and thousands of new and vintage Barbies.

I grew up with Barbie, only having one doll, coveting my younger cousin's 3-4 figures. Mum couldn't afford Barbie clothes or shoes for my doll (hand me down from said cousin) so I learnt to make my own with mum's Singer sewing machine... I still remember the pink work suit ... and the apple green Audrey-style dress I made for her...

But I gave that all up when I turned 13.

Until now.



What's that dotting the stairwell, you say?

Let's look closer...



Closer!



875 Barbie. And since they're glassed in individual boxes... no DUSTING!

More, more!

here

Spa or beauty parlour, or cosmetic shop, Barbie-themed, of course!





Clothes





Gasping and gawking? :) I do like it. White, bright, clean and very funky stairwell! (I hope they pay their cleaning crew damn well.)

Read more here.

But as for me? 20 years later... I have my own Barbie doll... again... but this time, designed by design icon Jonathan Adler!

This is NOT a Hannah product!