Come on, Barbie, let’s go slumber party: Airbnb to offer pink Malibu mansion
If you’ve always dreamt of a life that’s plastic, fantastic and pink all over, your prayers have been answered by Airbnb. Beginning in mid-July, ahead of the premiere of the Barbie movie, Barbie fans can book a stay in Ken’s bedroom in Barbie’s oceanside mansion in Malibu, California.
Though it’s technically Barbie’s property, her longtime partner, Ken, is the host, according to the Airbnb listing. And he’s left personal touches like a grill, pool floaties that spell his name and a barrel of workout supplements called “Beefy body brine” for guests to enjoy.
“There’s so much stuff to do – some days, I’m not sure what to do first. I mean, do you catch waves before or after firing up the grill? And how do you know when to visit the horses?” Ken posits to potential guests on the Airbnb website.
Airbnb will be selecting four guests to spend a free night at the hot-pink house on 21 and 22 July. Guests will be greeted by a concierge who will give a tour and arrange meals, they can try on Ken’s clothes and get to go home with a pair of roller skates and a surfboard.
The Airbnb becomes available to book beginning on 17 July, days before the highly-anticipated Barbie movie directed by Greta Gerwig featuring stars including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae and Simu Liu releases. The internet has kept a consistent excitement for the movie’s release since last summer when photos of Robbie and Gosling wearing matching neon outfits and rollerblades entered the ether.
Barbieland’s creation also appeared to take up one company’s entire global supply of pink paint, Gerwig and Sarah Greenwood, the film’s production designer, told Architectural Digest in early June. The sets in the fictitious town are almost entirely fluorescent pink and thus had caused an international shortage of pink paint. “The world ran out of pink,” Greenwood told the magazine.
Lauren Proud, vice-president of global marketing at Rosco, the paint company used by the film, told the Los Angeles Times that the shortage was just in a specific bright pink shade and was part of a global, Covid-19 supply chain issues.
This isn’t the first time everyday folk have been offered the chance to spend a night or two living like Malibu Barbie. In 2019, the same property was listed on Airbnb for $60 a night to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the brand.
For those who just want a quick trip to Barbieland, Mattel has created immersive pop-ups in cities like Santa Monica, Chicago and New York where people can traipse around themed rooms that include Barbie’s spaceship, recording studio and Volkswagen camper van.