Pink ka-ching! Companies capitalise on Barbie frenzy

AT mtm labo’s newly-opened Barbie exhibition at Winsland House Singapore, the world’s second biggest Barbie doll collector was on cloud nine, rubbing shoulders with other Barbie lovers and parsing the fascinating history of her 64-year evolution.

Jian Yang, a 44-year-old marketer, says: “When I used to wear my Barbie T-shirt and carry a Barbie water bottle on the street, people looked at me funny. But yesterday I wore my Barbie T-shirt on Orchard Road and no one blinked... Barbie has become so mainstream now, and so many people are wearing Barbie clothes, I feel relieved not to be the only diehard fan around.”  

mtm labo, a skincare brand, approached Yang to showcase a significant portion of his over 600 Barbie dolls in conjunction with the release of Warner Bros Pictures’ Barbie movie this week.