Airbnb is giving you the chance to stay at the life-sized Barbie Dreamhouse in Malibu - and it's all for a good cause.
ADVERTISEMENTAirbnb is collaborating with Barbie to give punters the chance to stay at a life-sized version of Barbie’s Dreamhouse in Malibu. The online site for homestays will be donating to the Barbie Dream Gap Project Fund, an initiative empowering young girls by proving gender never has to be a hindrance when it comes to following your dreams.
Barbie has been a staple of many childhoods ever since the brand was launched 60 years ago in 1959. Alongside the many dolls, outfits, cars and accessories you could purchase, the pinnacle for many little girls was the Barbie Dreamhouse. Still on sale at toy stores today in the region of £260, it doesn’t come cheap and the chance to own one was quite literally the stuff of dreams for many young Barbie fans.
For grown-ups who may have grown out of their Barbie days, this may be the only chance they get to revisit those youthful years of pink, pink and more pink. The Barbie Dreamhouse on Airbnb features ocean views and is almost identical to the toy-sized model, at three storeys high. The mansion comes with an infinity swimming pool (including water slide), outdoor patio, hot tub and personal cinema. It can house up to four people, with two luxurious bedrooms and dressing rooms complete with sumptuous décor.
The material elements aside, Barbie encourages you to go with your friends because “the best part is just being together”, she writes on the Airbnb booking page. “My Dreamhouse is the perfect place to be inspired and learn new things. I hope it will feel like your Dreamhouse, too”, she reassures us.
How do you book? The catch is that only one set of friends will get to enjoy this “once in a lifetime opportunity” between October 27th - 29th. Airbnb encourages guests to get online from October 23rd as booking opens at 11:00am PDT on that day. Prices are low too at only £46 ($60) per night.
During the stay, guests will be treated to various excursions and meet-and-greets with a hairstylist, make-up artist, chef and pilot - as well as getting their very own fencing lesson.
The Barbie Dream Gap Project
Whatever you think of the life-sized Barbie Dreamhouse, the Airbnb homestay is in aid of an admirable cause. Airbnb is donating a percentage of profits to the Dream Gap Project. Originally started on GoFundMe, the project is backed by the Barbie brand and aims to develop self-belief in young girls from the age of 5, by inspiring them to reach their full potential.
Through resources and support, the money raised goes towards charities like Step Up, She Should Run and She’s The First, helping girls excel in education, leadership and in choosing career paths.
The project started after a study conducted by Andrei Cimpian, Associate Professor of Psychology at New York University, revealed low levels of confidence in young girls. Cimpian studied 400 children aged 5-7 and identified “by age 6, girls were significantly less likely to associate brilliance with their own gender, when compared to boys of the same age.”
Having already raised $250,000 towards the Dream Gap project, Barbie hopes to donate more through renting out the Dreamhouse on Airbnb.
