Move over, Red 3. Barbie is coming to town to paint the town pink in two different activations. One involves handing out health-conscious cookies from a fun truck February 11-13, and the other is a roller-skating pop-up café at Wanderlust Wine Co. that'll operate April 4 to June 15.
First the warm-up: Barbie has teamed up with Sweet Loren's, a bakery that caters to special diets. They'll be giving out beet-dyed, heart-shaped cookies for free at grocery stores around town. The purpose is to show off the product — pink cookie dough in ready-to-bake heart shapes — which is now available in stores. Fans might also win a year of free cookies.
Sweet Loren's avoids the top 14 food allergens like including gluten, dairy, eggs, and nuts. Founder Loren Brill realized a gap in the market for healthier cookies after the was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s lymphoma in her early 20s. She overhauled her diet, but wished she could still buy cookie dough from the grocery store. Now the brand wants to make sure no one is left out when it comes to sharing food.
From a press release, find the truck at the following times and locations:
- Tuesday, February 11 — 11 am to 2 pm at 9607 Research Blvd #300 (Whole Foods - Gateway store); 4-7 pm at 4301 W William Cannon Dr Bldg B Ste 800 (Whole Foods - Arbor Trails store)
- Wednesday, February 12 — 11 am to 2 pm at 901 E 5th St. Ste 100 (Whole Foods - East Austin store); 4-7 pm at 11920 Domain Dr (Whole Foods - Domain store)
- Thursday, February 13 — 11 am to 2 pm at 1801 E 51st St (H-E-B Mueller); 4-7 pm at 525 N Lamar Blvd (Whole Foods - Lamar store)
Next comes the pop-up café. This one takes its theme from the sporty Malibu Barbie, serving diner foods alongside a temporary skating "rink" with $1 roller skate rentals benefiting the charity partner Girls Inc. Even though it's hosted at Wanderlust, all ages are welcome, except for a "monthly" 21-and-up skate night. Other special events will include cupcake decorating classes and paint parties.
The fast casual menu was created by Chef Becky Brown, who has been a finalist on Master Chef and a champion on Chopped. Photos from other stops on the tour show pancakes with sprinkles, cheeseburgers, pita and hummus, and other brunch dishes — although a press release calls it "all-day fare."
“At Mattel we are always looking for exciting, new ways to bring the Barbie experience to life, said the brand's vice president of global location based entertainment, Julie Freeland, in the release. "From the décor to the menu, every detail has been thoughtfully designed to celebrate the iconic Barbie style."
The Malibu Barbie Café will set up some fun photo ops.Photo courtesy of Mattel
Tickets ($25) for the café will be available starting February 17. For now, there's a waitlist to receive the first notifications that tickets are on sale. Wanderlust Wine Co. is located at 610 N. Interstate Hwy. 35. Times will become available when tickets are released.