Kansas City's Barbie-themed streetcar cost taxpayers nearly $25,000

NPR

Published September 20, 2023 at 5:59 AM EDT

The Dream Streetcar, featuring a hot pink wrap and colorful Barbie-ish themed seats, cost taxpayers because it isn't an official ad for the film. The fare-free car operates for another six weeks.

Related Content

How the Iran war is disrupting air travel -- and advice if you're planning a trip

Bill Chappell

The war in Iran is roiling jet fuel prices and airlines are beginning to hike prices, unsettling travelers far from the Middle East. If you're booking a flight soon, here are things to know.
Over puppy yoga? Try it with snakes.

Deena Prichep

You've heard of yoga with kittens, and goats, and maybe even reindeer… but what about a bunch of pythons and one baby Columbian Common Boa named Mango?
The Trump DOJ is giving guns back to felons, including one alleged fake elector

Jaclyn Diaz

The Department of Justice is quietly restarting a decades-dormant program to restore gun rights to felons. One of them was an alleged fake elector in 2020.
Key oversight helping keep student loan records accurate has stopped, a watchdog says

Cory Turner

Without this Education Department oversight, borrowers could "be placed in the wrong loan repayment status, billed for incorrect amounts" and more, the U.S. Government Accountability Office says.
2025 saw relatively fewer natural disasters. Will you get a break on home insurance?

Michael Copley

Disaster costs fell in the U.S. in 2025. Still, it was the fourth time in five years that extreme weather inflicted more than $100 billion in annual losses. Industry experts say the growing financial toll will make insurers wary of rushing to cut rates.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.