The store takes up six storeys, and is decked out in pink as far as the eye can see.
The first thing you notice is the three-storey high case of Barbies which wraps around the store's spiral staircase, containing Barbie in every conceivable outfit.
From pink ballroom dresses to pirate gear, she stares out at you, that fixed smile always the same.
Not accidentally, store employees wear pink dresses, towering high heels and the same fixed smile.
The store is located in the heart of Shanghai, and while Barbie is the focus, it's really aimed at tween girls in general, with every possible thing they might want contained within the 3500sq m building.
The tagline used in the publicity brochures says, "It is an epic celebration of girlhood that the world has never seen before."
And certainly if the young girl in your life likes the fantasy world that Barbie creates, then she'll love Barbie Shanghai.
There is a Barbie-themed spa and a Barbie design centre, where girls can design their own Barbie doll.
Another popular feature is the Barbie fashion runway, where young girls can glam themselves up and walk down an actual runway (wearing products bought inside the store, of course).
Items for sale are jewellery, toys and cosmetics, among much, much more.
My personal favourite was the apple-flavoured Barbie lip gloss, which was being sold with the promise that it would "make your lips more kissable".
There's also the Barbie Cafe, a restaurant on the sixth floor with Barbie themed decor and menu.
The menu is designed by David Laris, the award-winning chef who works for Three, the restaurant in Shanghai's famed Bund shopping and dining area.
At the Barbie restaurant, you can get a Barbie burger with pink sauce (despite my alarm, it's only coloured mayonnaise), a Fashionista Salad of prawn, fennel, walnuts and mixed greens, and a California Dreamin' smoothie of strawberry, banana, mango, yoghurt and honey.
It's also the first place Ken gets a real look-in.
He's hardly noticeable on the first five floors but here you can buy a Ken burger, containing lots of masculine cheese and bacon.
But there's just something about this place.
After browsing through six floors and seeing more Barbies than I have ever seen in my life, it's hard not to get the uneasy feeling that the whole place is exploitative.
The pink, the fixed smiles, the setting - all of it meant I was happy to step back on to the streets of Shanghai.
