The Barbie Truck is back traveling up and down the western US. And this week the Barbie Truck finally made its way back to the San Diego, the city that I call home. I have to admit, I was so excited. I actually considered flying to Phoenix to see it back in November of last year as I missed its San Diego visit last August. But fortunately the truck made its triumphant return to America’s Greatest City (that’s what the city calls itself at least).
The Barbie Truck is a merchandise based mobile store that offers different Barbie products including clothing and accessories, though not dolls or clothing. Most of it is exclusive to the truck. Some of the items are available on an associated website that you can access by clicking here: https://barbietrucktour.square.site/. Though most of these products are from LAST year’s iteration of the Barbie Truck.
Each year or so, the Barbie Truck rebrands itself with a new theme and a new list of exclusive merchandise. The Barbie Truck started in 2019 and then returned in late 2021 after a brief hiatus. Last year’s 2022-23 theme was “Malibu Barbie” the 2023-24 theme is “Dreamhouse Living”. Last year’s products all had a beachy, 80s vibe with strong bright colors with pink accents that all pointed to the BARBIE feature film that was released last summer. This year’s “Dreamhouse Living” line is a return to classic Barbie, complete with the handwritten “B” logo and a theme centered around chic homewares and light pinks and pastels that fade to gold and grey. I loved it and I knew I definitely wanted to pick up some of it.
The truck is themed and presented like a food truck and when its sides open it looks like it could be serving tacos or grilled cheese just as well as Barbie apparel and accessories. This weekend the truck arrived in Chula Vista and announced that it would be open from 10AM-7PM. It was parked in the shopping area’s very nice and very accessible covered food court area. Though luckily today, there was no rain – for the first time in almost a week! Looked like the Barbie truck brought the sunshine with it!
When I arrived early at 10:30AM, there was a LONG line. I was actually impressed – not that there was a line but that there were so many diverse Barbie fans here in San Diego. There were young fans but there were also adults and even older people. It really made me happy to see that Barbie has such a diverse fanbase. But I was a little intimidate. I’m an adult male Barbie fan. And after my experience doing Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus House by myself at Walt Disney World (which you can read about HERE and which went well but was a little nerve-racking), it was nice to not be the only adult fan of a product that was ostensibly geared toward children. But I was still a little nervous – Akershus flashbacks? No, maybe just worried about being a Barbie fan among other fans out in the wild in public combined with general social anxiety. With the line being so long, possibly 30-40 minutes long, I decided to pause a beat and go do some shopping at an adjacent Walmart. There were a few things I needed – including lunch. And while there I managed to pick up the Barbie 65 version of the original Barbie doll that just dropped at retailers. So I did buy a doll after all today!
After a nice shop and a Walmart chicken sandwich and coke, I was ready to stand the line, but to my surprise the line was now just 2-3 people. I walked up and was helped almost immediately – almost too quickly. I knew what I wanted however (at least I thought I did), the Barbie caps that I saw showcased on the local San Diego news story about the Barbie Truck and the amazing tote bag. I was helped quickly and with a smile by the guy (!) that was working the store that day. He was really cool and we joked around about being such big Barbie fans. I grabbed a bunch of photos around the truck and eventually was about to leave when I realized that I had not even looked at the truck’s menu (see they really are going all in on the food truck) – put on a sandwich board. That accessory jar was really calling my name so I picked it up. And since I spent over $40, I also got a set of Barbie magnets! But honestly everyone who worked at the truck and who was at the truck when I was there were so welcoming and friendly. Barbie truly is for everyone – and that was awesome to see in action.
I was really tempted to get the hoodie, the mug, and the tumbler. But look I can’t buy everything. I needed to save some money!!! But boy was I tempted, and if you’re a true Barbie fan, I think you will be too. See below for my haul, including my Barbie 65 doll from Walmart.
I loved the Barbie Truck. While it might not be something to fly to or drive a long way to, if you are a Barbie fan, the very exclusive and well-designed merchandise along with the chance to see and bond with other Barbie fans is really something unique and fun and I highly recommend the experience. If you don’t like lines, visit after the truck has been open for about two hours. But honestly, I kind of wish I had waited in line, just for the chance to bond and meet with other Barbie fans, so really, don’t let that stop you.
The Barbie Truck has both east coast and west coast routes that occur simultaneously. Here are some future dates:
- February 17 – West Covina, CA and Doral, FL
- February 24 – Bakersfield, CA and Orlando, FL
- March 2 – Fresno, CA and Atlanta, GA
- March 9 – San Jose, CA and Charlotte, NC
- March 16 – Durham, NC
- March 23 – Walnut Creek, CA
Dates are added regularly. You can get more info about the Barbie Truck Tour here along with links to a page that has more detail and hours for each truck stop: https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie-truck-tour.
No Scoops Club 