It’s a Barbie World

7/21/23

Margot Robbie, right, as Barbie, and Ryan Gosling, as Ken, in Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” Credit…Warner Bros. Pictures

It’s finally here! The Barbie movie hits theaters this weekend. The press surrounding this movie started last year. You might be tired of reading about the movie, but I wanted to write a post about Barbies and the Barbie movie.

Am I looking forward to seeing this movie? Yes. Why? All the stars in the movie, the director, and the Barbie content.

The Barbie Doll

I had a collection of Barbie dolls, and I loved them. My grandmother made outfits for them, including a wedding dress and dresses for the bridal party. I know Barbie was problematic for many reasons, but I enjoyed dressing them up and creating stories about their lives.

From The Washington Post, The Barbie merch explosion is ‘heaven’ for collectors of the iconic doll

The Barbie movie dolls, modeled after the actors in the film, are all recent additions to Matt Vaughn’s collection. (Matt Vaughn/@thedollaisle)

Unfortunately, my Barbie collection is long gone, along with my Matchbox cars and Star Wars figures.

Shop for Barbie dolls and accessories: https://shop.mattel.com/pages/barbie

Barbie the Movie Collectible Doll, Margot Robbie As Barbie In Pink Gingham Dress $25

Buy a Gap hoodie for your Barbie: Hoodie for your Barbie

The history of Barbie:

Read https://www.britannica.com/topic/Barbie.

Barbie, in full Barbara Millicent Roberts, an 11-inch- (29-cm-) tall plastic doll with the figure of an adult woman that was introduced on March 9, 1959, by Mattel, Inc., a southern California toy company.
Barbie’s physical appearance was modeled on the German Bild Lilli doll, a risqué gag gift for men based upon a cartoon character featured in the West German newspaper Bild Zeitung.
In response to consumer demand, in 1961 Mattel brought out Barbie’s ultimate “accessory”—her boyfriend, Ken.
By 1968 Barbie had been issued “friend” dolls of colour, but not until 1980 was the Barbie doll itself released in an African American incarnation.
Since the 1970s, Barbie has been criticized for materialism (amassing cars, houses, and clothes) and unrealistic body proportions. In fact, in 1994 researchers in Finland announced that if Barbie were a real woman, she would not have enough body fat to menstruate. Mattel responded by changing the body mold for Barbie on several occasions. At the turn of the 21st century the doll was given smaller breasts, a wider waist, and slimmer hips, and in 2016 the company released three additional sizes of Barbie: petite, tall, and curvy.

From the New York Times, Barbie: A Visual Dictionary. The things that make Barbie Barbie.

Photo illustration by Elizabeth Renstrom for The New York Times

Her outfits and accessories: “Her wardrobe has been a mirror held up to our most identifiable trends over the decades — a sleeveless blouse and a pencil skirt in the ’60s, a bandanna print halter-neck maxi dress in the ’70s, an aerobics-ready purple leotard and matching leg warmers in the ’80s — and to our sense of self. Barbie always dressed the parts we allowed ourselves to imagine, from debutante to doctor. Her outfits helped keep her relevant.“

Her occupations: Dressed for Success, in Every Field Imaginable. “Barbie is the ultimate career woman. Who else among us has been a fighter pilot, UNICEF ambassador, marine biologist, cupcake chef, computer engineer and aerobics instructor? Inevitably, for someone with a résumé boasting more than 250 different occupations over six decades and diamond-hard ambition barely concealed by her fluffy exterior, Barbie’s extensive toolbox has grown in line with the advances of modern women in the workplace.“

The Dreamhouse:

Barbie Dreamhouse Doll House Playset, Barbie House With 75+ Accessories $224.99

From the New York Times, Barbie, Her House
and the American Dream. Take a stop-motion journey with the young, single homeowner of the Dreamhouse. Ken isn’t on the deed.

The Movie

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in “Barbie.” Asked to describe the tone of the movie, Robbie said if she had to, “I guess I say it’s like a comedy adventure. I hate putting them in boxes, pun intended.”Credit…Warner Bros.

Why have we been hearing about this movie for so long and is it worth seeing?

There is always a lot of press when a well-known brand creates a movie or series. Remember the buzz about the Lego movie? Connecting a film to a famous brand is a win for the movie and the brand. The products are promoted, and people who love the products will be excited about seeing the movie.

There are too many articles about the movie to share all of them. I’ll pick a few that give you some good information. You can search for them (and turn your screen pink) by typing Barbie movie into Google.

From the New York Times Magazine, Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ Dream Job. Mattel wanted a summer blockbuster to kick off its new wave of brand-extension movies. She wanted it to be a work of art.

From the New York Times, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling on Barbie and Kenergy

Review from Boston Globe, Don’t even try to put this ‘Barbie’ in a box. “Greta Gerwig’s surreal satire starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling is one of this year’s best films.“

From NPR, Is ‘Barbie’ corporate propaganda or Malibu Metacommentary™? Why not both!