Was Barbie Epcot’s first IP?
As the world celebrates the release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” let’s travel back to the ’90s and take a look at one of the most colorful anecdotes in the history of Epcot — and what might have been the park’s first big use of intellectual property (IP).
The Magical World of Barbie at Epcot
“The Magical World of Barbie” was a live stage show performed at Epcot’s American Gardens Theater. Today, the sheltered venue in World Showcase is best known for hosting the annual Candlelight Processional and year-round festival concerts, but from late 1993 – May 1995, Barbie and Ken reigned.
The half-hour musical show featured both live and prerecorded singing. Props during production numbers included jump ropes, scooters, hula hoops, and beach balls.
The show’s theme song proclaimed, “In Barbie’s world, there’s no limitations. In Barbie’s world, there’s nothing you can’t do. In Barbie’s world, use your imagination and make your dreams come true!”
Upon the debut of “The Magical World of Barbie,” Disney released a behind-the-scenes VHS featuring interviews with the show’s creative team.
“Barbie is a fashion queen. She has great looks,” said Lynne Ford, costume designer. “She has a look for absolutely everything you could ever think of to do, and it’s always done from head to toe: fully accessorized, bright colors, great hairdos. We’re having a great time.”
Why Barbie? Why Epcot?
When Walt Disney World’s second theme park opened in 1982, it was known as Epcot Center. (Today, it’s technically stylized as Epcot). Back in 1994, it took on a unique identity as “Epcot ’94.” Yes, the official name of the theme park itself was “Epcot ’94.”
The same year, there was arguably much more happening elsewhere on Disney property. Magic Kingdom opened Legend of the Lion King and remodeled Tomorrowland, while Disney-MGM Studios (as it was called at the time) welcomed The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It was Epcot, though, that received a new name.
The centerpiece of Epcot’s rad rebrand was a highly publicized celebration of Barbie’s 35th anniversary as a toy. Barbie herself even rode around the park in a pink stretch limo.
If you think Barbie and Epcot might make an odd couple, you’re not alone. In 1995, the Orlando Sentinel described the pairing as “one of those mixed-matched relationships that took many by surprise — a highbrow, cultured type taking up with a bubbly, blond clotheshorse.”
Barbie herself approved of the location choice. She opened her stage show by telling the crowd, “We are so glad to be here at Epcot ’94! And you know what? I can’t think of a better place for us to share our world with all of you!”
While the presence of Barbie in Epcot, in and of itself, might have seemed random, “The Magical World of Barbie” made an effort to thematically connect with its home park. The stage show’s story involved Barbie, Ken, and their friends embarking on a globe-trotting trip to Australia, Africa, and France. The aesthetic may have been bubblier than Epcot’s norm, but the concept itself fit right in.
Barbie Changed the World (Showcase)
“The Magical World of Barbie” marked a distinct change for Epcot’s playbook that may not get enough credit (or blame, depending on your preference) for how it changed the park forever, intentionally or not. Prior to the show’s debut, Epcot was decidedly franchise-less, void of the movie-themed attractions that now populate its promenades.
Sure, characters created specifically for Epcot rides, like Figment or the grocery cast of “Kitchen Kabaret,” had been in the park since the beginning. However, when it comes to characters sourced from intellectual property, or IP, was Barbie the first? Let’s find out.
Barbie vs. Roger Rabbit
Was Barbie Epcot’s first IP? The answer is … yes and no. It depends on what type of experience qualifies. If we’re talking about the first character to star in their own full-blown attraction, probably. If we mean any use of IP in Epcot, no.
Prior to Barbie’s arrival, Mickey and friends regularly held meet & greets at Epcot. They even appeared in a few live productions, including “Epcot Splashtacular” (whose theme song was later recycled for Disneyland’s “Magical!” fireworks).
The long-forgotten “Character Carnivale” is about as ’80s as it gets. 1988 YouTube footage of this spectacle shows Roger Rabbit and other Disney friends arriving to Showcase Plaza on a double-decker bus. When the bus parked, Roger led the group in singing “Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot” (still just a few years old then), complete with choreographed dancing, before the characters went into the crowd to meet guests for photos and autographs.
Barbie and Pumbaa: Two Ships Passing in the Night
For the purposes of our exploration, Barbie, while being far from the first character to appear in Epcot, was likely the first recognizable fictional entity to star in a marquee attraction.
Others weren’t far behind her. The next character to call Epcot home? Iago, the parrot from “Aladdin.” In July 1994, Epcot opened Innoventions, which included a VR presentation with Walt Disney Imagineering featuring Iago as its spokesperson (the exhibit was a precursor to Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Adventure, which later moved to DisneyQuest.)
In November 1994, the cast of “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” arrived to Future World in the new “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” 3D experience. In January 1995, Timon and Pumbaa starred in “Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable,” an educational film inside The Land.
In evaluating the long list of characters who now star, or formerly starred, in their own Epcot experiences — from Star-Lord and Remy, to Kim Possible and the Three Caballeros — it’s curious to consider the trailblazer was (if only for a year and a half): Barbie.
Barbie’s Legacy Lives On
In addition to the long-term attractions featuring IP, a number of franchise-focused live productions performed in American Gardens Theater in the years and decades that followed “The Magical World of Barbie.”
In 1998, “Disney’s International Storybook” starred Mickey and friends in a trip around the world.
In 2013, “Mickey’s America Streetbeat,” featuring break-dancers and percussionists, performed a limited-time engagement for just one week.
During the summers of 2018 and 2019, several years before Cosmic Rewind, Star-Lord and Gamora hosted “Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Live!” The park rolled out themed food to celebrate the occasion, too.
When “The Magical World of Barbie” closed in May 1995, the Orlando Sentinel spoke with Pam Brandon, a Walt Disney World publicist. “Epcot is moving in a new direction,” Brandon said. “It’s just one of those things.”
Wow. I never ever knew this was a thing. We visited Disney world in April 1993 and never recall seeing or hearing of Barbie at all. We didn’t go back until Dec 1996, so maybe we missed her.
On a different note, Mickey and his friends performed at the Odyssey restaurant as far back as 1988. They wore space themed costumes and it was an awesome show! I went in 1988 and was so excited that it was still there in 1991. I believe they still performed in 1993 too.
I went on break one day only to find Ken and Barbie hanging out smoking! Definitely a whole different vibe backstage
Don’t forget that Barbie turned up in the Toy Story franchise too!!