Attendee and Barbie superfan Brenna Miller was scathing.
“Barbie Dream Fest ought to be ashamed at what they are calling the ‘ultimate fan weekend’,” she posted on social media.
“People are not happy! This is the Willy Wonka experience with pink paint. Barbie would not approved [sic]. I honestly cannot believe Mattel put their name on this.”
Miller told the Sun the reality was more plastic than fantastic after she flew to the event with three friends, spending at least US$2000 on flights, accommodation and premium tickets.
“There was a lot of hype and advertising, promising interactive experiences,” Miller said.
“It really didn’t deliver that at all – we keep saying it was the most Temu Barbie convention we’ve ever been to.”
According to the Barbie Dream Fest website, fans could meet tennis superstar Serena Williams, attend creative workshops and strap on roller skates for the “80s Disco Roller Rink”.
“They were charging US$373 for a photo with Serena Williams,” Miller said. “I’ve never seen that before at a Barbie convention.”
Fans will be offered refunds after Barbie’s parent company got involved. Photo / Brenna Miller
The Barbie Reddit page was flooded with negative reviews.
“This event sucks. Barely any vendors or activities. The “80’s roller disco” is a 20×40 foot square of concrete in the middle of the marketplace with no decorations or anything to make it special,” said a user.
Now attendees are in line for refunds after Barbie’s parent company Mattel stepped in.
Fans will be getting a refund after the event. Photo / Mother_Question_3317/Reddit
“Barbie Dream Fest was created by Mischief Management, which licensed the Barbie brand from Mattel,” the company said in a statement.
“We are working with Mischief Management, who are managing attendee feedback and issuing full refunds to everyone who purchased tickets.
“We want every fan experience to be an excellent one.”
The Barbie festival has been widely compared with the infamous Willy Wonka Experience that used AI-generated posters to sell out the event.
A sad-looking Oompa Loompa at the Willy Wonka Glasgow Experience. Photo / Supplied
Attendees were promised an enchanted garden, an imagination lab, a twilight tunnel and captivating entertainment.
Instead they got a lightly-decorated warehouse, one or two jelly beans, a quarter of a cup of lemonade and some sad-looking actors.
Children were in tears, the police were called and parents demanded refunds.