Come on Barbie, Let's Go Party!

For M's birthday, we gifted her lunch at the Malibu Barbie Cafe at the Mall of America over our Christmas break. The entire experience was absolutely the best and totally worth it. M wore her "In My Barbie Era" shirt. I should have planned a pink themed outfit for myself but I didn't. It was okay though, plenty of people were not in pink. (Though there were absolutely whole groups decked out too.) 

This is what it looks like from outside in Nickelodeon Universe. 

Once inside, there was a little shop for merchandise. And this photo op. But it was the only section you could go in without a reservation. 

Luckily, we had one! (And had since September.) The hosts were turning people away right and left. This is only a pop-up and will only be at MOA until January 14. It's kind of genius how they're doing it since you have to order your food when you buy the tickets so they know EXACTLY what food to order. Yes there were some apps and some dessert choices but for the most part that would make it incredibly easy to order cases of food. 

While we waited for our 90 minutes in the cafe to begin, we got to sit in the waiting area and take some pictures. 

It's a bit of bummer that SpongeBob is in the picture too... but that's the reality of the situation. 

The hopscotch was a good way to use energy. We liked to look at the Barbie "History of the Beach" scenes too. 

Once we got into the cafe, the photo ops didn't stop. 

This below is my favorite picture... we got seated early and the other tables hadn't filled in yet. So you can see the whole scope of it. And it just makes me so happy. The whole cafe was so darling! 

We had a nice chat the two of us, and we ate our food. M had the pink pancakes and I had a beach burger. We both got pink lemonade too because... obviously at the Barbie cafe a pink drink is necessary. 

After we ate, M went rollerskating. The skating rink portion was teeny tiny, but it was for the experience not to show off your excellent skills. She had a good time. And I think only fell once. 

Husband came to the mall with us and he did his own thing. But I sent him a text and he met us by the rollerskating part. (It was the only bit you could see from Nickelodeon Universe.) I was able to hand him our doggie bags, so he got a lunch out of it too even without a reservation or joining us inside. But then he also got to delight in watching M roller skate too. 

We had to sign a waiver about all the injuries: we opted for a helmet and wrist guards for the experience. Knee pads and elbow pads felt like overkill for the size of the space. It was funny to me that some of the girls were wearing wrist guards upside down... and they wouldn't have helped prevent a wrist injury. 

I once broke my arm roller skating so I felt like wrist guards weren't a bad option. And I think she looks cute in the helmet anyhow. 

Even the skate return was cute! 

I may have taken a picture of M by everything in the whole cafe. No shame. 

She wasn't amused that I took a picture in the bathroom but look at the mirror?! It's adorable. And true.  I hope she remembers that forever. 

Even the elevator was decorated. (We took the stairs up and the elevator down so we could say we did it all!) 

I am thrilled we went. Spending a little one-on-one time with my girl doing girly things was the best. I love Barbie. I loved playing Barbies when I was young. I love the Aqua song. I love that M loves Barbies too. (I actually watched the movie from my living room yesterday. I don't know how I feel about it. I didn't love it. And it obviously wasn't a factor towards going... And this wasn't a movie tie-in which I am glad about. Just Malibu Barbie.) 

What was neat was that it wasn't just young girls at the Cafe. Though there were plenty. I saw Moms, Grandmas, and mother/daughter pairings of all ages there to enjoy Barbie. To be fair, there were some dads and brothers too. M did say she was glad C didn't come since the grumpy brothers were ruining it for the sisters. She's astute that girl of mine. 

If you ever get a chance to visit the Malibu Barbie Cafe, I'd say it was worth it! It is a good one-time experience for sure!