Video of the week.

396/1368: “Barbie Birthday Party at Walt Disney World, EPCOT (1994)”

Welcome to our first monthlong content series! This time around, we’re focusing on one theme: birthdays.

My own birthday is later this month, so I thought it’d be fun to spend the next 30 days diving into all things birthday-related topics: cakes, parties, iconic TV episodes, and more.

Birthdays can be tricky for a lot of us, so let’s use this as a chance to find the fun in them!

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This might be one of the most impactful videos I’ve ever seen: The Barbie Birthday Party at Epcot. It’s an iconic merging of two powerhouses: Barbie and Disney—set specifically in Epcot, which stands on its own as a bizarre and fascinating universe, just like Barbie!

The video draws you in immediately. It opens with sweeping shots of Epcot set to a dramatic violin score, then the beat drops as a shimmering '90s Barbie logo appears on screen. The music picks up, and we’re suddenly in the wild world of Epcot.

Cut to: a pink stretch limo with GOLD RIMS, colorful decals, and, yes, a vase of roses in the back. It might be the most beautiful vehicle I’ve ever seen. Where is this limo now??? If you think I’m showing up to my wedding in anything else, you are sorely mistaken.

The premise of the video is simple: two girls, Stephanie and Lisa, explore the different countries of Epcot while celebrating Barbie. It’s also educational, introducing viewers to birthday traditions around the world. As a five-year-old who’d never left the country, I was deeply moved. Could this have been the spark that ignited my love for travel?

Highlights include:

• Filling piñatas in Mexico – inspiring!

• Folding origami in Japan – beautiful and creative!

• Writing a birthday card in Chinese – educational!

• Learning how to properly eat spaghetti in Italy – manners!

• Enjoying birthday cake in France – classy!

Epcot fun fact: Everyone who works at each country’s pavilion is actually from that country. Disney runs a college exchange program that brings in students to work at Epcot while funding their education. I learned this in 2017 while shopping in the Norway Pavilion with a fully painted face.

Then it’s craft time with friends, where they all make birthday cards for Barbie. Honestly, this is where my entire aesthetic was born.

The film’s big finale is a preview of the live stage show The Magical World of Barbie. The costumes are incredible, and the musical numbers are LOL. My personal favorite is “The Barbie Touch” (22:00), sung by Barbie and Ken during a multicultural fashion show. Honestly? Margot Robbie wishes.

And finally, my favorite part: Barbie gives us a QVC-style showcase of the latest doll collection (25:44).

P.S. I don’t remember this, but apparently one day I was watching something on MTV that my mom thought was too mature. She told me to put on something else, so I shrugged and put this tape in.