No such luck. Though the package was Malibu Pink, the pasta itself was pretty ordinary-looking: traditional durum wheat yellow penne rigate, but cut a little shorter, hence the pennette. The front of the package did show Barbie clad in her chef’s whites, a floppy toque, and a very Barbie side-pony. It also showed Barbie (holding a grill pan, of all things) and a friend, also donning a side-pony and carrying a pot, with the words “Cooking together is an Act of Love.” Upon getting it home, I looked into the brand’s other products. This Barbie on the cover replaced another woman, presumably the brand’s marketed Nonna, who typically stands guard while harvesting wheat. It was as if Barbie nudged this woman and whispered to her, “why don’t you take a break, I can fill in for a bit?”
That said, the pasta cooked beautifully and felt like a slight step up from my go-to dried pasta brand, De Cecco. In the perennially optimistic spirit of Barbie, and since there was nothing notably Barbie about what I had boiling in the pot, I decided to throw together a quick vodka sauce, the pinkest sauce I could think of. I’ll admit, it was a tasty bowl of pasta. But had you not seen the packaging prior to being served these petite pennette, you would have absolutely no idea you were digging into Barbie pasta. Whatever that is, anyway. 0.5/5 Barbie. —Carly Westerfield, recipe production assistant
Available at Whole Foods Market nationwide
Malibu Barbie Cafe Popup in NYC
If you’ve been to the American Girl Café, you’ll immediately already understand the business model of the Malibu Barbie Cafe pop-up in New York City. Extremely thematic and immersive. Disproportionately expensive. Catered to children. I attended this very Malibu Barbie Café in New York’s Seaport, hosted in a space that regularly morphs into different pop-ups throughout the year, for which I’d prepaid a whopping $44 for one “adult”-size entrée (exorbitant). The pop-up was predictably accented by pink everywhere and rife with photo opportunities, like a human-size doll box and a pink surfboard to stand on within a cardboard wave. Because this was specifically Malibu Barbie-themed, the tropical paraphernalia was plenty—hence, surfboard. The child-size and adult-size patrons both were visibly psyched to be in attendance, most dressed head to toe in various hues of pink. One couple rolled up in full Barbie/Ken costumes, and I have to respect the dedication to the craft and to the theme.
My “Beach Burger,” despite the fact that it cost $44, was actually good. It looked fake and plasticky upon arrival—as it should—but the bun was super buttery and the two burger patties were charred and juicy. Slim on the toppings front (there were no toppings), but the cheese and mayo/ketchup-y sauce were pleasantly average. The fries were thin and crispy—very run-of-the-mill restaurant fries—served with ketchup and garlic aioli. A neighbor to my left seemed to have ordered a fruit skewer, which was plated alongside what looked to be funfetti frosting. Fascinating; on brand. All in all, the experience was obviously very Barbie, and I can imagine eating it up as a child. 5/5 Barbie. —Li Goldstein, digital production assistant
