We’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of storied Pink Sauce—remember her? We didn’t know it at the time, but the inadvertently Barbie-core condiment just might have foretold 2023’s Hot Pink Summer, which has loudly and proudly announced its arrival over the past few weeks. There’s been a recent swell of gimmicky fuschia-hued foods in our midst thanks to an extremely well-financed marketing push for Barbie, the hotly anticipated Margot Robbie–helmed blockbuster of the season. We’re talking Barbie-inspired frozen desserts from Cold Stone and Pinkberry. Barbie pasta’s in the mix. (Spoiler alert: It’s normal penne in a pink bag.) Care for a can of Barbie pink lemonade? Oh, and there’s literally an entire Malibu Barbie Cafe popping up in New York’s Seaport, and it's shockingly expensive.
Obviously, we had to taste all of these things and rank them on a scale of Very Barbie to Not-So-Barbie, as well as on the entirely separate factor of whether the food actually tasted good. Which ones merely invoked Barbie at the level of aesthetics, and which truly captured her essence? Read on to find out.
Barbie Land Berry Pink Frozen Yogurt at Pinkberry
As a brand that’s already dusted in pink, froyo chain Pinkberry represented the most promising choice to deliver an acceptably Barbie food item. Its entry into the movie’s marketing canon, the Barbie Land Berry Pink, is purportedly a blend of strawberry and dragon fruit frozen yogurt—depicted as a chubby pink swirl in a pink cup, topped with glittery silver and pink “Dream Sprinkles.” My local Pinkberry had its pink Barbie the Movie cups ready in all three sizes, as well as multiple posters advertising its pink wares. I went in and simply requested “that Barbie flavor.”
Alas, my small cup was not filled to the brim like the ads depicted—but I must say, otherwise, this froyo got me into the Barbie spirit. Though the froyo will win no awards for tasting similar to farmers market strawberries, it did taste pleasantly like the sugary berry-flavored Gogurts (aka yogurt in a plastic tube) that I ate as a kid. The sprinkles looked like actual plastic glitter: a blend of metallic-looking silver stars and squares, pink and white pearls, and larger pink nuggets. They clinked against my teeth in a way that I imagine real plastic would; I certainly did not think that any human should be consuming them as a food. In other words, it was everything I could have asked for in a treat inspired by a glamorous doll who I used to force into soap opera plots on my living room floor. Life in plastic, it’s fantastic, baby. 5/5 Barbie. —Serena Dai, editorial director
Available at select locations of Pinkberry
Pasta G. Di Martino’s Barbie Pennette Rigate
What is “Barbie” pasta? I practically gestured air quotes to myself while walking into Whole Foods to find the Barbie Pennette Rigate from the brand Pasta G. Di Martino. In my head I envisioned a boxed kit, similar to a cake mix made by another feminist icon (Dolly Cake, anyone?). It would be complete with an unnaturally pink sauce to pour over the bright fuschia-toned extruded pasta that would come in an array of shapes: high heels, lipstick, handbags, rollerblades. I grew up believing that Barbie could do anything, and I wanted this pasta to be dreamy.
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
Ongoing until September 15; reserve tickets at Bucketlisters
Swoon’s Barbie Pink Lemonade
If the Dream House garage has Barbie’s hot pink convertible, then the Dream House fridge would be decked out with cans of Swoon’s Barbie pink lemonade. The can is marbled with hyperpop swirls and announcements of its 0 grams of sugar and monk fruit sweetener. The lemonade itself looks like liquefied cotton candy. If appearances were anything to go by, the Swoon was very promising. The look: Check! Aside from its ties to a certain astronaut-rockstar-surgeon-Olympian-UNICEF ambassador, I was also excited to try Swoon’s latest creation because of the company ethos. Each sale contributes to the Dream Gap Project, an international initiative under Barbie that provides resources for underprivileged girls. Helping out other women in their dreams to do anything? Well, what’s more Barbie than that?
Unfortunately, where the special edition Barbie drink fell short was taste. It evoked neither the lemon nor the strawberry advertised on the can. It was more like a diluted V8 made with not-quite-ripe tomatoes, but with a vinegary sourness and salty aftertaste. Barbie would do it for the set design. She would do it to support her fellow girlie. But this Barbie is not making a repeat purchase. 3.6/5 Barbie. —Kat Chen, editorial intern
Available at Whole Foods, Target, and on Amazon
All That Glitters Is Pink Creation™ at Cold Stone Creamery
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I had high hopes for Cold Stone Creamery’s All That Glitters Is Pink Creation™, which promised a mix of Pink Cotton Candy Ice Cream, Graham Cracker Pie Crust, Dance Party Sprinkles, and Whipped Topping. It captured “the very essence” of Barbie, the press release claimed. It featured “sweet, dazzling flavors and attention-grabbing looks,” the press release added. But my Creation™ did not glitter nor dazzle. Instead, I was served a cup of congealed goo that was tinted the faint pink of a raw chicken breast, studded with graham bits and sprinkles. Befuddled, I asked the server if they might not have been done zhuzhing it up, but they told me that I was in fact looking at the final product. It looked post-apocalyptic. It looked like Oppenheimer had vaporized Barbieland.
It did taste delicious: The ice cream tasted more like vanilla, not cotton candy—but it was a smooth, creamy vanilla that wasn’t too sweet. Its texture paired great with the crumble of the graham pieces and crunch of the sprinkles. Yes, All That Glitters Is Pink Creation™ was a perfectly good treat—just not the pure, essential embodiment of Barbie herself. And in 2023’s Great Barbie Merch Off, that sadly earns it a 1.9/5 Barbie. —Karen Yuan, culture editor
Available at all Cold Stone locations nationwide until August 8.