Seeing pink: Barbie truck tour rolls into Orange County
The hype of director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie, which hit theaters on July 21, has many brands seeing pink. With perfect timing, the Barbie Truck Tour will cruise back into Orange County hot on the (high) heels of the film’s box office success.
“With the movie coming out, it was this crazy union of many things,” said Barbie Truck Tour co-founder Urania Chien. “With all the Barbie marketing going on we feel like we are in this little Barbie capsule. It is really cool to be a part of that.”
Urania and her husband and co-founder, Charlie Chien, are bringing the 2023 West Coast Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living Tour to Irvine Spectrum on July 29 and Fashion Island in Newport Beach on July 30. Barbie fans can find all new exclusive merchandise on the truck, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of Barbie moving into her very first Dreamhouse.
“We incorporated a lot of housewares, if you will,” said Charlie.
Mattel released the first Barbie Dreamhouse in 1962, at a time when women in the United States were unable to open their own bank accounts and only 0.1% of women were independent homeowners. The Barbie Dreamhouse has undergone many remodels over the years and constantly gets updated to reflect current architectural and interior design trends.
The truck will have plush throw blankets, mugs, pink glass tumblers and Barbie coasters, which the Chiens said were their most popular item at this year’s Barbie convention.
“They were selling like crazy at the Barbie convention,” said Urania, “and it turns out that this coaster is the perfect size to be a rug for Barbie.”
The truck will also have apparel, like a lavender denim jacket, hoodie, graphic T-shirt and baseball cap.
The Chiens are also the team behind the successful Hello Kitty Cafe pop-up.
“The Hello Kitty Cafe is based more on food and that experience of sitting down and having afternoon tea,” said Urania. “Since Barbie is so toy driven, it is a different feel.”
The Chiens said creating the Barbie truck was about getting the experience out to cities that don’t get access to the bigger markets where you see more Barbie pop-ups happening.
“We wanted to create this truck to go around the county and to meet fans in person,” said Charlie.
The Hello Kitty Cafe found a permanent home at Irvine Spectrum Center, and the Chiens said they can’t say if the Barbie truck may park permanently too.
“There is nothing planned, there is nothing to announce,” said Charlie, “but there is always a ‘stay tuned.’”
The Barbie Truck Tour has been around since 2019, when the partners built the first of three iterations of the truck.
“We first launched in Kansas City for Barbie’s 60th anniversary,” said Urania. “Every iteration since has been a call back to Barbie and her legacy.”
The first truck tour highlighted the Barbie of the 1980s and early 1990s, with merchandise that leaned into the ’80s, like a Barbie fanny pack.
“It was a touch space for the fans that grew up with Barbie,” said Urania.
The second tour in 2021 focused on Malibu Barbie, released in 1971 with a suntan and long, blond, straight hair. The design of the truck was reminiscent of the 1970s surf vibe, with merchandise to match.
“The tote bag we did was a burlap tote, so more of a beach bag,” said Urania.
The Barbie Truck Dreamhouse Living Tour stops at Irvine Spectrum Center on July 29 from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the Giant Wheel Court and on July 30 at Fashion Island, Newport Beach from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. in the Neiman Marcus Courtyard.
The stops this weekend are sure to draw Barbie fans before the truck heads to Burbank on Aug. 5 at Burbank Town Center near Macy’s.
“As you age, you stop playing with dolls,” said Urania. “The thing with Barbie is it such a core memory for so many people that they still want to be a part it.”
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