Aldi’s Barbie Aldimania Dreamland Doll will be unveiled at the chain’s store in Barnet, north London. It features a haul of accessories inspired by the supermarket
Aldi is launching its very own BARBIE – and is turning one of its store’s logos hot pink to celebrate. The eye-catching transformation at the Barnet store in north London heralds the arrival of the new Barbie Aldimania Dreamland Doll.
The £12.99 doll is sporting a bright pink Aldi logo dress with matching sunglasses, sun visor, and shoes. The iconic blonde doll also features a haul of Aldi-inspired accessories including a trolley, shopping bag, foodie favourites, a flask, table tennis rackets and customisable stickers.
The Aldimania doll is landing in stores from September 6 as part of Aldi’s September Toy Event. Fans can bag a photo at the Barnet store ahead of the launch until September 10.
Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, said: “A new doll has entered the Dreamhouse! What better way to celebrate the launch of our very own Barbie Aldimania Dreamland Doll than with a Barbie pink takeover at our Barnet store in London.
“We’re excited to see the doll hit the shelves and bring a little extra joy to shoppers, collectors and Barbie fans across the country.” Barbie Aldimania Dreamland Doll will be in stores on September 6 for £12.99 while stocks last.
It comes after a study found that playing with Barbie dolls helps both girls and boys improve vital social skills and develop empathy. The toys helped them reach key milestones in developing social understanding, and were particularly useful for kids having problems with their peers.
Children were more likely to use language expressing emotions and play socially when interacting with dolls compared with when they played with tablets, the six-week Cardiff University study discovered. They were also more likely to play with siblings, friends or parents with dolls.
The university’s Dr Sarah Gerson said: “We believe that doll play may encourage children to engage in social interactions more and give children more opportunities to rehearse or reflect on others’ beliefs, emotions, or intentions.
“When playing with dolls, children have the opportunity to role-play characters, create narratives and act out scenarios – doing so fosters the ability to imagine others’ thoughts, feelings and intentions.
“These pretend play scenarios allow children to practise social skills, emotion processing and emotion regulation within a safe environment.”