WHO NEEDS MALIBU? This Manhattan penthouse — appointed with modern furnishings and featuring a view of Central Park — could be Barbie’s next home now that she’s put her Malibu Dreamhouse up for sale. (Celerie Kembl)
WHO NEEDS MALIBU? This Manhattan penthouse — appointed with modern furnishings and featuring a view of Central Park — could be Barbie’s next home now that she’s put her Malibu Dreamhouse up for sale. (
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Move over, Malibu — Barbie’s hunting for a dream house in Manhattan!
Barbie is moving from her California mansion and embarking on a quest for new digs that could land her in a posh penthouse with Central Park views, makers of the doll say.
Toymaker Mattel has hired a team of top-notch interior designers to create three “dream houses” — in New York, California and India — and will announce its choice in August.
The Big Apple pad is a luxe pied-à-terre catering to a workingwoman, said its designer, Celerie Kemble.
“Barbie is a strong, independent woman. She belongs in New York!” Kemble said. “Manhattan is the best of the best for Barbie.”
A rendering of the home features big windows overlooking Central Park and a spacious living room.
“She’ll entertain in style with the power players of New York,” Kemble said. “It’s a place for her to meet with great minds.”
The apartment is a short distance from the bustle of Midtown — convenient for any career gal — and decked out with hip modern art, Kemble said.
She added the pad is “more sophisticated” than Barbie’s three-story, 8,500-square-foot beachside Malibu home.
Earlier this year, the doll’s marketing team created a story about Barbie’s big move from her famous pink palace.
In the tale, Barbie packs up boxes — mostly full of shoes! — and puts up a for-sale sign on the house, for which she’s asking $25 million.
Other finalist designs include a colorful California cabana designed by Trina Turk and a bungalow-style home in India by Lulu deKwiatkowski.
Barbie’s VP of marketing, Lori Pantel, said the story reflects the doll’s evolution as an independent woman.
“As a workingwoman with over 135 careers, Barbie is proud to have a Manhattan home,” Pantel said.
“It’s a glamorous work space to host movers and shakers.”
The Manhattan pad is decorated with a dolphin lamp and a black-and-white splattered rug. Barbie’s beverage of choice — an iced tea with star fruit — sits on the living-room table.
Neon art hangs on the walls to show Barbie appreciates the New York art world, Kemble said.
A Mattel spokeswoman said it would not likely design an actual dollhouse based on the renderings. The story is just for fun, she said.
Barbie’s original dream house was created in 1962, back when marketing honchos were focused on Barbie’s California-girl persona.
But now she’s interested in more than just tanning.
“In her New York home, she can look out into the dizzying horizon of possibility,” Kemble said.