From the Editor: The Record-Breaking ‘Barbie’ Boom and the Impact on the Toy Department

For more than six decades, and with lore that spans more than 200 careers, Mattel‘s Barbie has been a symbol of empowerment that girls “can be anything.” Now, on the eve of her 65th birthday, Barbie is officially a movie star. But there’s so much more to it.

Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as versions of Barbie and Ken, Barbie: The Movie is a record-breaking success on multiple fronts, taking in $155 million in the U.S. and $182 million in international markets for a $337 million opening weekend total. Right out of the gate, the Greta Gerwig-helmed Barbie is the biggest opening ever for a film from a female director, and its release alongside Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer leveraged the “Barbenheimer” hype to fuel the fourth biggest box office weekend of all time.

There will be hot takes and analyses of this for years, but Barbie opened amid an era of striking change in Hollywood that will have massive ramifications for years to come not just in the entertainment industry but the toy industry and adjacent realms as well.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are on strike as they seek fair compensation from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and its studio and streaming members. While the strike seems to have had little if any, measurable impact on the moviegoing public, the talent involved in the making of Barbie has been unable to take part in the celebration of their own success.

There is a culture war at play that has, in part, been mirrored by certain events depicted in Barbie and will arguably filter back into the real world as the success of the film becomes a part of the dispute. As top-level, “above the line” industry players and executives cash in and exchange pats on the back, many of the creatives and “below the line” parties that brought the film to the big screen will soon be struggling to pay rent, mortgages, or put food on the table for their families.

Ahead of the Friday night screening I attended with my family, a commercial ran for Mattel’s excellent work with its Barbie Dream Gap Project, but I couldn’t help but think of the battle being waged over the pay gap. And this isn’t something new or unique to Hollywood. It’s been the way of life for corporate America, including within the toy industry (a story for another time).

Quite simply, I don’t think that there was any other way to do this movie and do it right.

Looking back at the false starts that Barbie had on her way to the big screen, I don’t believe that any of the previously-in-development versions would’ve worked, and that’s why the time and care put into this film is so important.

Barbie as a toy, a consumer product, and a lifestyle brand is a multi-faceted affair that could fill volumes, yet somehow, it’s all addressed in just 1 hour and 54 minutes of cinematic entertainment.

There is perhaps no other toy brand with as much social and cultural baggage attached to it as Barbie. People love Barbie. People hate Barbie. And, there are countless interpretations of what Barbie, Ken, and their world could or should represent. That also means that there are some pretty ugly blemishes on the history of the brand that could loom like an Elephant in the room, but Mattel did the right thing here by letting Gerwig and her husband and writing partner, Noah Baumbach address them head-on.

Watching the film alongside my wife and our two daughters, I witnessed plenty of laughs alongside a decent amount of tears being shed.

Stereotyping, gender, and self-esteem issues are tackled alongside the occasional pushback against consumerism and the sometimes-sad reality that kids grow up and send their toys off to Goodwill. And, as adults, there are big emotions that can tie back to the times we played as kids (no spoilers, but see America Ferrera’s Gloria on that). Gosling’s Ken (his job is “Beach”) discovers “patriarchy” while Robbie’s Barbie struggles on a journey of self-discovery to find out just what exactly it is that “Barbie” is supposed to represent.

A huge highlight of the film is Rhea Perlman’s award-worthy performance as Mattel co-founder and Barbie creator Ruth Handler. Even here, the filmmakers didn’t shy away from the blemish on Handler’s real-life story, with a dual mention of her “troubles with the I.R.S.” Even some famous misses in Barbie history (Ken’s buddy Allan, pregnant Midge, Video Girl Barbie) made their way into the film.

Will Ferrell, no stranger to playing toy industry CEO-types (see: The LEGO Movie) steps in for Ynon Kreiz as the fictional President and CEO of the movie version of Mattel (opting to use Bank of America Plaza in Los Angeles as a stand-in for the company’s El Segundo HQ). Here, Ferrell leads a group of comical “yes men” on a journey to Barbieland in an effort to put “Stereotypical Barbie” (Robbie) “back in her box” amid a cross-pollination of the real world and the Barbie world in which humans and toys can interact.

I loved the film, but more importantly, my family loved the film.

But, as with any multi-layered story, the individual response to the film and its themes may vary widely.

On July 26, Mattel will report its second quarter earnings. While I expect mixed results amid a not-so-great first six months of the year for the entire toy industry, my Magic 8 Ball says “Outlook Good” that we’ll hear that gross billings were up for Barbie product shipped during Q2. Should the momentum of the brand continue, the sales spike should be felt within Q3, and hopefully, this becomes an example of the “rising tide” analogy that getting families back into the toy department could spike sales for other products, or “float all boats.” Ideally, when Barbie hits VOD and streaming, we should see another example of the old-school “home video sales bump” as families at home watch the film and kids (even though this is a PG-13 movie) start asking for new Barbie dolls.

Mattel executives, particularly Kriez and President and COO Richard Dickson have been very open on the fact that their cinematic aspirations are “about more than selling toys,” it’s about making good films and building brands.

Still, Barbie is a toy, and the success of today does not guarantee the success of tomorrow.

As we’ve seen in recent years, the evolution of Barbie has been a great thing and the brand now encompasses its most diverse array of products ever. Personally, I can’t wait to see what Mattel has planned for Barbie’s 65th birthday next year.

What the toy industry needs right now is excitement, and Barbie is a step in the right direction.

The male perspective on Barbie could prove to be a punchline for some, but some familiar voices in the toy industry (this one included) thought it would be fun to see the film and share links to each others’ thoughts. Hit the links below for commentary from three friends as part of a sprawling, toy trade multiverse of Barbie takes, direct from the Mojo Dojo Casa House. In any other world, we could be 10s, but here we’re all just Kens.

It was almost buried in the Barbie hype, but last week it was revealed that the long-in-development He-Man and the Masters of the Universe movie has been canceled at Netflix. Sources say that more than $30 million was spent on developing the live-action film prior to a conflict regarding the overall budget.

Could Barbie be the anchor of a Mattel Cinematic Universe where Will Ferrell’s nameless “Mattel CEO” leads a company that has various worlds (like Barbieland) that can be accessed by toys and humans alike? With multiple toy brands set up at a variety of different studios, that could get complicated, but I’m certainly interested in whatever possibilities may exist within the toy box.