On Thursday evening, I returned to the World of Barbie exhibition (which could easily be my second home), this time for their special 19+ 'Sips after Sunset' event.
The exhibit opened this past summer in Mississauga, and of course, as the biggest Barbie fan in town, I attended the grand opening weekend along with my friend, Kira. So when we heard there was an opportunity to visit again, this time with a holiday twist, we knew we had to go (in our matching Barbie sweaters!)
'Sips after Sunset' runs every Thursday night until Dec. 8. The weekly party is catered to adults looking for a fun night out. It's a chance to get dolled up, have some drinks, and dance, all while exploring Barbie's dreamhouse.
Each night features a special celebrity host, as well as cocktails, snacks and complimentary hair braiding courtesy of Hairology. TV personality Patricia Jaggernauth was the party's special guest on Thursday, glammed up in a long floral pink dress and sparkly high heels.
When we arrived, I noticed immediately how much quieter it was compared to our first visit in the summer. It felt like a private VIP party, with fun dance music playing in the background and staff on hand just waiting to take your photo in front of all the fun backdrops and sets.
The whole space is designed to look like Barbie's dreamhouse with added features like her camper van and Interstellar Airways shuttle.
This time around we were able to slide into Barbie's ball pit pool and play instruments in her music studio.
We took way too many photos and had a good time reading all about Barbie's history in the 'Barbie Museum' section, and watching the virtual waves on Barbie's Malibu boardwalk.
I even had a chance to do some real investigative journalism over at BNN (Barbie News Network), anchoring the newscast from the Barbie TV Center.
Later on, we sat down in the cafe, where we were able to order some fancy drinks, called 'Pretty in Pink' to sip on while enjoying some complimentary chocolate pink-covered strawberries. There were also a few new additions for the season like the stockings hung on Barbie's mantel, and the large Christmas trees and twinkly lights set up throughout the dreamhouse.
And we couldn't leave without visiting the gift shop, where I purchased a souvenir sweater, pencil and keychain. I mean, when else will I get to go to World of Barbie? I want to keep these as mementos to look back on one day.
Barbie is a style icon. I grew up playing Barbie and she has always been an inspiration to me. It was Ruth Handler who created and debuted the beloved doll in 1959. Handler was a powerful woman who paved her way to success, in a time where the toy industry was dominated by male executives. At first, they didn't believe her doll was good enough to market. But she persisted and went on to sell over 300,000 dolls in the first year and has become a household name in the toy industry.
There are other special events happening at the World of Barbie coming up, like Movie Days and their Daily Tree Lightings.
The exhibit will be on until the end of January before moving to other cities in North America.
To learn more visit the website here.
Happy Doll-adays!
Natasha Philpott is an avid Barbie collector and the editor for BradfordToday and InnisfilToday
