Let’s talk Barbie-Mania. And let’s take it all the way to the beginning. The Barbie doll was invented nearly 70 years ago in 1959. Yet and still, the doll has remained a mainstay in the lives of people all over. So much so that every man, woman, and child I know flocked to the theater to watch the premiere of the Barbie movie. 2023 was the summer of Barbie! So what makes this movie, this doll, such a mainstay? Well first and foremost, it’s branding. Barbie has been instilled in us for decades. Mattel made sure of it.
When I was in elementary school, I played with Barbie dolls and even had my own Barbie dreamhouse, punch buggy, pajamas, sheets, etc. Barbie extended past just doll play. I wanted to be a fashion designer so my parents bought me a Barbie Fashion Sketch kit to help me learn how to sketch. My brother even joined in on the fun when Barbie got a cool RV for his action figures to go camping in.
When I was in middle school, Barbie adapted right along with us. Soon we were playing Barbie computer games and video games. We could even get Barbie ringtones and phone cases for our cell phones.
Even in high school, we carried mini backpacks (why was that a trend?) with our favorite characters on them and it was Barbie galore at my school. Plus, I was in high school when Nicki Minaj first released Pink Friday, keeping Barbie-core in the zeitgeist for years to come.
Never would I have imagined well into my adulthood that I’d be seeing Barbie again. But seeing the camaraderie of all us Barbie girls (gender neutral of course), I found comfort in it. That’s not to say the brand doesn’t have its pitfalls. But finding comfort and friendship in nostalgia is just what we 90s babies do.
Reference Materials:
Every Barbie Brand Collaboration Out Right Now - InStyle
The collaboration we should’ve seen in the Barbie movie: Barbie x Moschino - Vogue
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