Hollywood A-listers have been walking red carpets in hot pink, glitter is back, and companies from The Gap to Burger King are doing rose-colored collaborations: Barbie mania is everywhere as the hotly anticipated film hits theaters worldwide.
Toy maker Mattel, who first unveiled the iconic doll in 1959, has reached about 100 licensing agreements for everything from roller skates to toothbrushes in connection to director Greta Gerwig’s summer flick.
Of course, Barbie is big in the beauty world too – lipsticks, blushes, and mirrors all bear the famous logo.
“In the 30 years that I have been tracking and analyzing box offices and trends, I’ve never quite seen anything like this before,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore.
“Barbie is tailor-made for marketing,” he said. “It’s perfect because Barbie is a toy, it’s already a product, and beyond that, it’s a lifestyle and a color.”
The movie, which stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as boyfriend Ken, has been hyped as one of the biggest blockbusters of the season, with numerous premieres held around the globe ahead of Friday’s debut in US theaters.
Of course, that promotion blitz has been curtailed at the 11th hour, with Hollywood actors now on strike over pay and other conditions. But the list of corporate partners is sure to keep the buzz going.
Microsoft, Forever 21, Ulta Beauty, Hot Wheels, Chevrolet, and even Progressive insurance are among the companies looking to cash in on Barbie mania.
The influential color company Pantone even has a shade to match the zeitgeist: 219C is officially Barbie Pink.
Mattel has even reached a deal with rival toy giant Hasbro, which will release a Barbie version of the classic board game Monopoly in the fall. In exchange, Mattel will showcase “Transformers” on its Uno card game in connection with a Hasbro film release.
