Hasta La Ideas

As your calendar surely notes, Monday is a big day for Barbie. March 9 marks the 50th anniversary of the grinning plastic blonde’s introduction at the New York Toy Fair, and Mattel is pulling out all the stops to celebrate. In the wake of last month’s New York Fashion Week extravaganza, Barbie has undergone a face lift. The results will be revealed on Monday when Mattel debuts the 2009 Black-and-White Bathing Suit Barbie doll, “designed as a modern interpretation of the original 1959 doll” and unveiling “a brand new face sculpt for Barbie.” Prepare to get yours at the one-week “throwback price” of $3.

Meanwhile, in Malibu, Mattel will throw Barbie a pink-carpet birthday bash (masterminded by event planner Colin Cowie) in a 3,500-square-foot “Malibu Dreamhouse” decorated by Jonathan Adler (and depicted in the sketch pictured above). Among the Adlerian touches: skirted, corseted, lace-up “dress” chairs; a chandelier made of Barbie hair; a closet filled with thousands of shoes; a sunburst mirror made from 65 Barbie dolls; and a garage that includes a real Barbie Volkswagen New Beetle car (can you guess what color the car will be?). Those visitors freaked out by the idea of a Barbie hair chandelier can focus on the Dream House’s Barbie museum, various Barbie-size Dreamhouses, and “several noteworthy pieces of Barbie art,” which could mean pretty much anything.

Previously on UnBeige: