Barbie Turns 50, Scores A Hot Pink Fiat 500

The favourite blonde doll of every young girl around the world (and Klosey) is turning 50, and Milan is putting on a party for the little lady.  Entertainment will be provided by German outfit Nena – they of '99 Red Balloons' fame.  Believe it.

Come the night of March 9, Fiat Centro Stile and Mattel will present Barbie with a special Fiat 500 to mark the occasion.

Known for her Ferrari collection, the gift of something smaller and more economical will no doubt be a welcome change.

If your head is spinning, read on - it only gets better.

The special edition Fiat 500 will feature hot pink ‘nail polish’ paint, while the interior is loaded with the same hot pink on just about every surface that’ll take paint.

It doesn’t end there, because the seats will be upholstered almost entirely pink as well.

Crystals sparkle everywhere, inside and out.  You’ll find them on interior bezels, the hub caps, outer window mouldings and antenna, and outlining a silhouette of ol’ Barbs on the pillars.

Fiat has planned ahead and included a range of lip glosses in the glove compartment – no doubt one of those colours will be pink.

One neat thing we did like about this special edition, is the custom cover it will come with, printed to look like the sixties version of the Fiat 500.  All 500s should be sold with such a thing (though perhaps not in pink).

When finally the car is presented to Barbie (sorry folks, not sure if we’re talking about the doll or a real life blonde stand-in with an impossible figure), her long-time love Ken will drive the birthday girl down to the La Rinascente department store where the party will continue.

That’s about all I can take, so my friends, I’ll leave you with the press release and photoshopped images.  I’ve gotta go do my hair and pick out a frock for the party.

PRESS RELEASE:

A Fiat 500 Show Car Birthday Gift For Barbie®

Fiat 500 makes headlines once more, as befits an authentic Made in Italy icon. This time it's an original Fiat 500 show car dedicated to the most famous fashion doll ever: Barbie®. This exceptional vehicle, created by a partnership between the Fiat Centro Stile and Mattel, will be given officially to Barbie® on 9 March next, at her fiftieth birthday celebrations in Milan.

It's a fashionista car but quite tongue-in-cheek and with lots of charm: just like Barbie® herself. The gleaming paintwork resembles varnish and definitely makes for a shock effect, achieved with deep lacquered colour using ultra fine aluminium plunged in deep, up-to-the-minute pink. The seating is upholstered in strikingly soft fabrics: silver laminated Alcantara® is not only trendy but plush to the touch and its glimmer bounces as far as the roof panel.

Then there are mats enhanced with natural silk yarn and sleek viscose, not to mention lip glosses in brilliant colours stored in the glove compartment, plus a LED-decked vanity mirror to ensure perfect application.

And there's more. The car has more features than a crown has jewels! Crystals sparkle on interior bezels, hubcaps, outer window mouldings and antenna and even outline the doll's famed silhouette on the pillars. Lastly, this Fiat 500 show car also has its own glossy cover, featuring the distinctive Sixties version of the Fiat 500 and a Barbie® autograph.

The latest Fiat 500 show car will appear in public for the first time on Monday 9 March, from 6.30pm onwards, when it will race through the quintessential streets of Milan's fashion district. Barbie® will be aboard and she'll have her own special driver: Ken, of course.

On arriving at the entrance to La Rinascente department store, in Piazza Duomo, Barbie® will leave the car and walk the unique pink carpet created just for her. The band Nena will be playing live in the background, reviving some of the most famous pop songs from the fifty years of the legendary fashion doll's existence.

Roberto Giolito, creator of the Fiat 500, had this to say about the Mattel-Fiat partnership scheme: "All-American Ms Barbie® already has a number of 'transport solutions' available, like thundering GTs and motor homes with endless accessories.

So if she's spotted a 500 and wants one as a gift for this landmark birthday, it's a signal typical of modern times that there's a renewed need for dreaming the simple things in life, which give so much, allow us to lighten up, thrill who's born beautiful or just feels beautiful, but doesn't have to prove anything.

After all, Barbie® already has everything. Sleek Barbie® is a looker, smart enough to listen to everyone, a universal ambassador opting for a car that never divides but frees everyone from having to declare their social status. The new 2009 version celebrates her birthday with a model that offers a better view of the sun and the stars, all the better for continuing to dream, especially daydreams."