BERLIN \u2013 It is possibly the German capital\u2019s most visible new tourist attraction, but the opening of the bright pink Barbie Dreamhouse Experience was picketed Thursday by women\u2019s groups protesting the \u201cclich\u00e9 of the female role in society.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only a stone’s throw from Berlin\u2019s fashionable Alexanderplatz shopping district, a water fountain in the shape of a huge pink high-heeled shoe now welcomes Barbie fans into a whole world of glittery, cerise-colored fun.<\/p>\n
But while the city\u2019s toy stores are filled with Barbie merchandise adorned with the slogan \u201cPink Rocks\u201d, the protest includes a campaign called \u201cPinkstinks\u201d that objects to \u201cmarketing strategies that allocate a limited gender role to young girls.\u201d
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The epicenter of doll devotion – only the second of its kind worldwide, after a similar attraction opened earlier this month in Florida — is an interactive experience for its (mostly) young customers.<\/p>\n
Organizers describe it as a \u201cseemingly endless walk-in closet\u201d, a life-size replica of Barbie’s fictional Malibu home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt provides a completely new insight into the living interior and lifestyle of the most famous doll in the world,\u201d said Christoph Rahofer, of marketing company EMS which obtained the rights to the attraction from US manufacturer Mattel.<\/p>\n