Photo:WARNER BROS. PICTURES/Youtube
WARNER BROS. PICTURES/Youtube
You’ll want to watchBarbiewith rose-colored binoculars.
The film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was released in theaters on July 21, and it’s packed with hidden Easter eggs throughout.
In addition to making references to the Barbie brand, including featuring real discontinued Mattel dolls andarchival outfits,Barbiealso includes nods to other popular films such asThe Wizard of OzandThe Matrix.
Barbiealso earned the biggest opening weekend of 2023, beatingThe Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $146 million that was scored earlier this year,Varietysaid.
Read ahead for the biggest Easter eggs from the film (and if you haven’t seen the film yet, mild spoilers ahead).
Discontinued dolls
Warner Bros.
In addition to featuring Barbie and Ken, the film includes many discontinued dolls from Mattel. Michael Cera plays Allan, Ken’s best friend who was discontinued in 1966, while Emerald Fennell plays Midge,who sparked controversy as Barbie’s pregnant best friend.
The film features several other controversial Barbies, including the Growing Up Skipper doll (whose chest grew when you pulled her arm), Video Girl Barbie (who had a video camera as a necklace) and Sugar’s Daddy Ken (which was a tongue-in-cheek way to refer to Ken’s dog, Sugar).
Barbie archival outfits
In addition to featuring archival Barbie outfits, the costume department went into the Chanel archives for some of Barbie’s looks, including many notable pieces from the ‘90s.
“There were some incredible outfits that I actually got to wear that Claudia Schiffer herself who’s kind of like a real life Barbie wore,” Robbie, who is a Chanel ambassador,said in a video for the brand. “In fact, one of the archival suits that I wore had the little label saying Claudia on it.”
The Wizard of Oz
Warner Bros Pictures/YouTube
Before the film’s release, many fans caught onto the subtleWizard of Ozreferences in the trailer, which shows the iconic 1939 film playing at the Barbie theater, Barbie wearing a pink gingham dress similar to the blue one Dorothy wears and a pink brick road beneath her convertible as she travels between the real world and Barbieworld — much like the film’s famed yellow brick road.
Many fans noted that this could be a reference to the movies' parallel plots as Barbie leaves her home to travel to a new, mysterious land and learns something new about herself.
Barbie movie references
Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.
There are also many references to the Barbie animated films.Varietypoints outthat during the beach scene, there is a Pegasus statue carved into a rock, which seems to pay tribute toThe Magic of Pegasus. Also during the beach scene, there is a building in the distance that has a fairy Barbie painted on it, which could be a reference toA Fairy Secret.
Jabs at other popular movies
The film also features references to many other iconic films in its dialogue, includingThe Godfatherand a jab atJustice League. The scene where Weird Barbie makes Barbie choose between a high heel and a Birkenstock sandal also evokesThe Matrix, where Neo (Keanu Reeves) is offered the choice between a red pill and a blue pill to either learn something new or be content in his ordinary life.
Bratz dolls
Many fans have pointed out that the girls Barbie meets in the high school (and “destroy” her with their brutal honesty) are actuallynamed after the original Bratz dolls, Yasmin, Sasha, Cloe and Jade, who were a popular rival of the Barbie brand in the 2000s.
Hidden Bs
Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
Just like Disney likes to include hidden Mickeys in their films, directorGreta Gerwig toldVarietythey included Hidden “Bs” throughout the film. “There must be thousands of Bs everywhere, because they also have, like, designs in the carpet,” Gerwig told the publication at the premiere.
Ruth Handler
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection; Yvonne Hemsey/Getty
Speaking withVariety, Robbie revealed that her favorite reference in the film is when Barbie meets her “creator,” Ruth Handler, and they have a Book of Genesis-like moment on screen.
“It’s on the same trajectory and angle as the Sistine Chapel,”Gerwig explained toTime.“Nobody is going to notice that so I have to say it.”
America Ferrera’s husband
Bryan Bedder/Getty
At the end of the film, America Ferrera’s real-life husband,Ryan Piers Williams, playsher onscreen husband— and even drops a “Si, se puede” in his few lines of dialogue, which fans immediately picked up on as a reference to Ferrera’s beloved 2002 filmGotta Kick It Up!
The two previously attended the European premiere ofBarbiein London together, with Ferrera writing, “My favorite & forever Ken, you cute,” on Instagram.
source: people.com
