As summer gets underway, nostalgia is setting the tone.
Barbie fever is taking over at the Malibu Barbie Café in New York City, and adults are paying big bucks to taste and relive their childhood. The immersive eatery, in partnership with BucketListers, gives families the experience to live and eat like Barbie for $40, plus a full menu complete with Beach Mojitos, Pacific Paradise Rainbow Pancakes and a Dreamsicle Ice Cream Sundae. Despite the entrance price tag, reservations are fully booked for the rest of the summer.
FOX Business spoke to several mothers who brought their daughters, ages 7 to 10 years old, all dressed in Barbie pink to commemorate their fondness for Barbie growing up and the upcoming summer movie.
"We all spent about two hundred to three hundred [dollars] on each girl’s outfit," Christina Cinque, a self-proclaimed "Barbie Mom" said.
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Cinque said that spending on the experience is all about creating beautiful memories for the kids.
Krystal Makusevich, a 40-year-old New Jersey resident, made a reservation months in advance to celebrate her friend's 40th birthday.
"We loved Barbie growing up, so there was no better way to celebrate 40 than in true Barbie fashion," Makusevich said. Both women had purchased Etsy-customized matching Barbie shirts for the occasion.
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Inspired by the "groovy beachside energy of the 1970s Malibu, California," the immersive two-story pop-up eatery, brings Barbie’s world to life with surfboard and wave backdrops, a giant boombox and a real-life sandbox where kids can build sandcastles. Its Chicago counterpart boasts an outdoor roller-skating rink. And, the food isn't plastic.
It's not just adult Barbie lovers turning to the old.
Gen Zers and millennials, or "kidults," are turning to foods, entertainment and even attire that pays homage to childhood memories – and companies are cashing in.
Major brands are bringing back old products to the market and content to the big screen.
General Mills is reviving its Count Chocula and Franken Berry cereals that debuted in its 1971 Monsters Cereal collection. The brand is introducing a "Monster Max Remix" cereal that features all original monsters, in addition to a new "edgy zombie DJ" monster later this summer.
Jeni’s Ice Cream has teamed up with a millennial breakfast staple, Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts to launch a new flavor.
McDonald’s is rolling out the Grimace meal special with a purple drink bringing back a well-known character from its past.
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"We’re excited to put a modern spin on these memories to continue to drive McDonald’s relevance with a new generation," Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald’s USA, said in a statement. "Grimace is the perfect lovable icon to have McDonald’s meet our fans at the intersection of nostalgia and culture."
In an aim to appeal to both older and younger generations, the entertainment sector is also turning beloved consumer toys and franchises into Hollywood blockbusters: "Indiana Jones" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" are coming to theaters this summer.
