Barbie gets another car for birthday: Pink VW New Beetle Convertible
Click above for high-res image gallery of the Malibu Barbie VW New Beetle Convertible
Proving once again that Volkswagen is clearly aware that its New Beetle plays to a predominantly female demographic is this very pink present created for Barbie's 50th Birthday. The full-size Malibu Barbie New Beetle Convertible features sparkling pink paint, custom white Katzkin leather, rhinestone studding, a lipstick-toned dipstick (*ahem*), and... wait for it... a motorized vanity in the trunk. Apparently, a jet-setting gal needs a car in every port, as Barbie will have access to the VW stateside when she and Ken aren't gallivanting off in her Milan-based Fiat 500.
The droptop was presented at Barbie's real-life Malibu Dream House (who knew?) a 3,500 square-foot Jonathan Adler-designed residence in... where else... Malibu, California. As part of the festivities, celebrity guests (including supermodel Heidi Klum, pictured) received a grab bag with Barbie sunglasses, handbags, and "tiny shoes." Apparently, our invitation got lost in the mail. Press release after the jump, high-res shots below.
PRESS RELEASE:
VOLKSWAGEN CREATES LIFE-SIZE PINK NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE FOR BARBIE® 50TH BIRTHDAY
Volkswagen Helps Barbie® Celebrate Fifty Years with a Customized New Beetle convertible, Fully Equipped with Rhinestones, Sparkling Pink Paint and Motorized Vanity in Trunk
HERNDON, VA-Volkswagen of America, Inc. helped Mattel celebrate Barbie® doll's 50th Birthday by transforming a New Beetle convertible into the ultimate Barbie® dream car. The life-size pink Malibu Barbie™ New Beetle convertible made its debut at Barbie® doll's Malibu Dream House® exclusive birthday celebration. Customization artists ABD Racing Werks, Katzkin Leather and Interiors and FoamMolders fully transformed the iconic New Beetle convertible into the perfect Barbie® ride.
"We are extremely proud to partner with Mattel and create a customized New Beetle convertible to celebrate Barbie's landmark birthday," said Laura Soave, General Manager of Marketing, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "Like the New Beetle, Barbie has made a remarkable impact on pop culture history, and still remains a cultural icon today."
From top to bottom and interior to exterior, Barbie® doll's New Beetle convertible has left no detail unfinished. From the white custom leather interior and convertible top to the hand stitched floor mats and pink quilted leather lined door pockets and arm rests, even the dipstick is painted to resemble her favorite lipstick. The New Beetle convertible is equipped with a motorized vanity in the trunk and plenty of rhinestone accents and vanity mirrors. Over five shades of paint were mixed together to create the perfect pink color for Barbie® doll's car.
The customized pink New Beetle convertible was prominently on display as the pink carpet was rolled out for the Barbie® celebration at her real-life Malibu Dream House®. Barbie® doll's house is a 3,500-square-foot home in Malibu, CA, decorated by famed "Happy Chic" interior designer Jonathan Adler. The Barbie® birthday festivities were complete with 1,800 pairs of Barbie® sunglasses, 3,500 pairs of tiny shoes, 3,500 mini handbags and numerous Hollywood celebrity guests.
Last year, Volkswagen celebrated the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the New Beetle convertible. With its distinct shape, the iconic New Beetle convertible is one of the most recognized models in the world.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sea Urchin 1:37PM (3/10/2009)
"Proving once again that Volkswagen is clearly aware that its New Beetle plays to a predominantly female demographic "-----------------would it be possible to get some real numbers for that statement? SUVs scream "All American Dad", but those are very popular with women. So i'd like to see some real numbers if you will be making that forceful of a statement.
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Chris.Paukert 1:46PM (3/10/2009)
A fair point of clarification. This is an older article, but it shows that the New Beetle Convertible draws a 65% female buying audience:
http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/284/most-popular-cars-for-men-and-women
Epyx 1:47PM (3/10/2009)
Sea Urine being a dildo as usual.
Mazda FTW! 1:52PM (3/10/2009)
Who else thinks Sea Urchin drives a Pink Beetle?
k.w.a 1:53PM (3/10/2009)
whoa Sea Urchin----
the New Beetle is driven primarily by women? noooooo way! i'm definitely gonna need statistics to prove what I already know.
Epyx 1:55PM (3/10/2009)
I still thinks Sea Urine drives a Subaru SVX. I have not seen the old Subaru SVX avatar for a long time and I am beginning to think that is b/c Sea Urine is the new tag. There is no way that there are two people in this world as annoying and contrary as the SVX guy and Sea Urine - they must be the same.
superman211 6:09PM (3/10/2009)
If you are driving a VW Beetle or a Mini Cooper and were born with balls, you still identify your self with women.
TyWright 1:47PM (3/10/2009)
Bit of a downgrade from a Ferrari, Vette, or the motorhome I used to push my little sister around the house in...
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Alex Nunez 2:01PM (3/10/2009)
No Nena concert? Pfft. Lame.
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Scott 2:01PM (3/10/2009)
People keep saying there's a downturn in the economy... but then things like this happen.
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The Luigiian 2:02PM (3/10/2009)
It's not really Barbie's car until it's got the flower petal hubcaps and wind-up key on the hatch.
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Axis 2:03PM (3/10/2009)
I'd drive a pink Beetle no problem if it was the old 60-70s rwd model setup for drag races.
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NT 2:21PM (3/10/2009)
And progressive women across the world shudder.
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dukeisduke 3:19PM (3/10/2009)
I just threw a pink Barbie Beetle in the trash last week, as half the windshield was missing (jagged plastic edges) from being stepped on too many times.
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steve-o 3:56PM (3/10/2009)
Come on Barbie, let's go party!
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Farris 4:48PM (3/10/2009)
I really wish VW would stop stereotyping the Bug as a "chick" car. There are a LOT of straight male drivers of Bugs that I know from newbeetle.org.
The fact that VW has now put out TWO Barbie edition Beetles and only one hi-po version (the TurboS, with 180 HP), tells me that they REALLY don't care about the car that brought them back from the ropes.
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Tourian 6:15PM (3/10/2009)
Could it be possible that the pink ones were a success and that there weren't enough straight tuner guys to buy the Turbo S to keep developing it? Gotta go where the money is...
NissanSpecV 8:10PM (3/10/2009)
Heidi Klum means extremely toxic sewage in german. Fitting her nastiness to a T.
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