Is it really Barbie’s world?
You would have to be living in a closet if you have not been recently overwhelmed by all things Barbie.
The countdown to the Barbie movie release on July 21 has been the most anticipated media event of the year, with the studio buildup making it feel like a hundred sleeps before Christmas all at once.
That Barbie is a phenomena cannot be disputed as she has sold over one billion copies of her dysmorphiaic body for manufacturers Mattel, making her the most successful toy of all time.
What’s more, the ageless Barbie has lasted for 64 years, and somehow always seems to be on the right side of fashion and social trends, thus ensuring that each new generation will find her in touch with their world, with each new iteration requiring a fresh range of outfits and accessories, keeping the Barbie franchise fresh and the merchants happy.
Barbie was born Barbara Millicent Roberts on March 9, 1959, out of the imagination of Ruth Handler, one of Mattel’s co-founders.
Barbie had a distant relative, the German doll called Bild Lilli, who came with a fully formed adult figure rather than the plump baby dolls that most girls had at the time.
Barbie’s top knot ponytail was either blonde or brunette, according to your fantasy, and like all young and affluent girls, she had a wardrobe to die for.
To make certain that Barbie was not lonely, Mattel created a make believe world of friends and activities for them to participate in.
In 1961 Barbie was introduced to Kenneth Sean Carson, better know as Ken, and soon the sparks were flying.
Mattel made much of their relationship, and why not, as Barbie was a doll, and Ken was a hunk with a dimpled jaw and muscular torso.
These were a young and frisky couple made for each other and the world has been guessing the state of their relationship ever since.
Whether or not Barbie and Ken ever got down and dirty together is debatable as in the early years Ken had his underwear permanently moulded to his body.
Or maybe for all those years Ken was trying to tell Barbie something that she may or may not have understood or wanted to hear.
In 1993 Ken was reintroduced to the world as Earring Magic Ken, complete with a lavender mesh shirt, purple vest, a leatherette choker and an earring in his left ear, a symbol for rebellion or adventure.
When Ken took his walk on the wild side, gay men went crazy and ‘gender bender’ Ken found a new audience.
While Barbie was waiting for Ken to make his move, she found solace with a new bunch of friends including Christie in 1968, who was made from the same mould as Barbie and so lacked any Afro-American features other than dark skin.
Barbie would eventually gain a mother and father and a full compliment of sisters, all of whom needed dressing and housing in Barbie World.
Throughout the years Barbie has been at the forefront of social movements such as the hippies, LA club rockers, clubbing, yoga and skating.
In 1997 Barbie topped the charts around the world when Euro-pop band Aqua released “Barbie Girl” and the band has since collaborated with Nicki Minaj for the movie’s soundtrack.
Leading up to the film’s release, Gruen recently devoted much of the program to analysing the movie’s promotional rollout, with panelist Russel Howcroft getting particularly excited about the pink billboards featuring just the film’s release date.
Barbie has also been involved in international politics when Vietnam banned the film due to what it claims is a misrepresentation of the nine dash line depicting the sea borders with China appearing in the background of a scene from the movie.
“Not so” say the film’s distributers Warner Bros. who explain that the lines depict Barbie’s journey from Barbie land to the real world.
This did not stop US senator and whack job Ted Cruz claiming in Vanity Fair that the image was ‘Chinese communist propaganda’.
Right now a Google search for Barbie will bring up a pink page with pink explosions, questioning what world are we really in?
Barbie World of course.
