Visits the Barbie Dreamhouse Experience

If you were a little girl at one point in your life, you probably played with Barbie dolls. And if you were like me, you had a collection of Barbie dolls, Barbie cars, Barbie clothes, and maybe even a pink Barbie Dreamhouse with a working elevator. I eventually outgrew my Barbie obsession, but some of the lessons in styling, grooming, and beauty stuck with me. Which is why during my vacation this week at home in south Florida, I HAD to stop by the newly built Barbie Dreamhouse Experience, an interactive life-size version of the one I had as a child. And boy, was it a trip.

Located in the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida, the Barbie Dreamhouse Experience is several thousand square feet of pink princess fantasy. Upon buying tickets, guests are escorted through each room of Barbie’s house: her kitchen, bedroom, balcony, closet, and then her airplane! In each room, there are interactive activities for little kids, like baking virtual cupcakes or trying on virtual outfits from Barbie’s closet. The focus is primarily on Barbie's online webisodes (raise your hand if you knew those existed) but, sadly, much of the technology wasn't quite working: Buttons were sluggish to respond, moving parts were broken, and odd software update messages popped up on screens. Not that the kids seemed to notice—they were busy searching for glitter in each room, a hide-and-seek game that takes place throughout the experience.

I had the most fun in Barbie’s bathroom, where guests can watch one of her dolphins take a shower or pop its head out of the pink toilet (silly Ken connected the plumbing to the fish tank!), or brush Barbie’s hair, or watch a Barbie webisode—again—in her bathroom mirror. Projected pictures of Chanel No. 5 perfume, Chanel eye shadow, lipsticks, and polish bounced around on the floor for kids to jump on and chase. (Not sure what message that sends. Also, I never would have pegged Barbie for a Chanel girl, considering she's had her own lines with M.A.C. and Stila in the past.) Jars of Hard Candy eye shadow, pink soap, pink rollers, pink loofahs, pink toilet paper, and Barbie bubble bath—all for sale in the gift store—fill the bathroom cabinets.

If you fork over additional money for VIP tickets, the experience ends with a fashion show, where children get their makeup done (smoky blue eyes were a hit among my group) and pick a few sparkly accessories before walking the Barbie runway. This was the only part of the experience that felt true to the Barbie brand: There were no computers, screens, or moving parts—just little girls using their imagination and creativity.

After a while, I came to the realization that the Barbie on display here is not the doll I knew as a child. That Barbie wasn't wide-eyed and squeaky-voiced cartoon character viewed on the screen of a computer. She was a physical object—a rather chic physical object, as I recall. As for this Barbie, the animated version, she's as forgettable as the cheap fade of her life-size Dreamhouse. If you’re looking for a true learning experience, you’re better off handing your child a real doll.