This ‘Barbie’-themed neighborhood in Utah has gone viral. See our photos
Sometimes it feels like the “Barbie” movie essentially depleted the world’s supply of pink paint.
It’s earned over $1 billion at the box office — a feat only 52 other films can claim. And it’s led to the creation of a massive Barbieland in Utah’s Daybreak neighborhood that has gone viral — two TikTok videos showcasing several of the “Barbie”-themed homes have each garnered more than 2 million views.
A Barbieland in Utah
While this year is not the first time the area in South Jordan has gone big for Halloween — last year saw one house go viral for its “Stranger Things” theme — the Barbieland project does mark one of the community’s larger undertakings.
Roughly 20 homeowners took part in bringing a slice of Barbieland to Utah, KSL-TV reported.
Inspired by “Barbie,” Daybreak residents came together as early as September to start preparing for a big Halloween theme, USA Today reported. Each house involved in the project has its own theme — everything from the Mojo Dojo Casa House to an Astronaut Barbie theme to a Haunted Barbie house.
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Per USA Today, other highlights include:
Barbie Graveyard, including “RIP the patriarchy” tombstones.
Disco Barbie.
Classic Barbie Dreamhouse.
Pool Barbie.
Beach Barbie.
Barbie Barn.
Utah Barbieland attracts the nation — and serious traffic jams
The Barbieland in Utah is a detailed creation that has attracted a large following — and the attention of national outlets like The Washington Post.
Liz Gallegos, one of the Daybreak residents behind the idea of the Barbieland, told USA Today that people show up as early as 8 a.m., with things really picking up in the evening, when the lights and music come on.
“I mean, we knew that people in Daybreak would care because they love Halloween,” Gallegos said. “But none of us had any idea that anyone outside of our little neighborhood would care at all. ... It’s just a constant stream of people like every single night, no matter what night of the week it is.”
Utah’s Barbieland, located on the Island at Daybreak, has also created some serious traffic jams.
“We were having cars parking on both sides of the street and two lanes of traffic trying to go through those parked cars, and it just wasn’t working,” homeowner Jamie Paladini recently told KSL-TV. “People were getting stuck. We saw people getting cars swiped.”
On Friday, the city of South Jordan closed the roads leading into the Barbieland — meaning that vehicle traffic in the area is for residents only, KSL NewsRadio reported.
“The city has been monitoring the situation and has determined that the traffic situation has now become a public safety issue due to the potential inability of public safety services to reach the residents on the Island,” the city of South Jordan shared in a post on its official Facebook page Friday afternoon.
Paladini had previously encouraged people interested in exploring Barbieland to park on main streets away from The Island.
“We’re all excited,” Paladini said. “We all love what we’ve created. We just want it to be safe and, you know, a good experience for everyone.”
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Check out more of our photos from Utah’s Barbieland
On Friday the 13th, Kristin Murphy, one of our Deseret News photographers, traveled to Utah’s Barbieland.
Homeowner Deidra Smith was hanging up a “Yay, space” sign in front of her Barbie Astronaut-themed home.
Families — some dressed up in their own “Barbie” outfits — explored the different Barbie themes, women posed for pictures with a cutout of Ken, and the neon pink lighting of the Daybreak neighborhood intensified as the night went on.
Check out some of our photos below.
