SHANGHAI (Reuters Life!) - Mattel's Barbie opened her first flagship store on Friday, a fuchsia-infused six-storey showpiece on a glitzy Shanghai thoroughfare where the toymaker hopes to revive the 50-year-old fashion doll's fading fortunes.

Film stars Jet Li and Cathy Chung mingled with models posing as life-sized Barbies and Kens as crowds thronged Shanghai Barbie's cafe, fashion stage and three-storey spiral staircase lined with displays of dolls.

The store will also be a testing ground for new marketing strategies and services, including a design center where visitors can create their own dolls.

Photos: Reuters, AFP

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