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# Barbie Movie Memes Are High Camp and We're Here For It
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/barbie-movie-memes-are-high-camp-and-were-here-for-it/
- Published: 2023-04-06T21:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T15:41:38.000Z
- Description: There's room for everyone in Barbie's world, from Flavor Flav to the cast of Succession.
- Author: Taylor Michael
- Tags: News, Barbie, Barbie dolls, California, Film, Memes, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 09:29 (2023, 2024, part 1)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2023/04/barbie-lead.jpg)

Danny DeVito as "Ongo Gablogian the art collector" in a *Barbie* movie meme (all screenshots Valentina Di Liscia/Hyperallergic)

Warner Bros. has dropped the second [trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRyt3Ov4zz0&ref=hyperallergic.com) for director Greta Gerwig's upcoming [*Barbie*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517268/?ref=hyperallergic.com) movie starring Margot Robbie. Set to release in July 2023, the film's plot has been kept a secret from the public, increasing anticipation. Coupled with the posters released on the movie’s [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/barbiethemovie/?ref=hyperallergic.com) account, featuring the cast of the movie framed by the ultra-recognizable, sun-shaped Mattel logo, fans are ready for what is expected to be a summer hit.

The movie’s marketing team has also created a [selfie generator](https://www.barbieselfie.ai/?ref=hyperallergic.com) allowing everyone to join in on the fun and become a citizen of Barbie Land. The message is clear: There is more than enough room for this [dinosaur](https://twitter.com/beeragon/status/1643311157472624643?ref=hyperallergic.com), the [cast](https://twitter.com/SwiftieofCain/status/1643616014997811200?ref=hyperallergic.com) of *Puss in Boots 2*, [Harry Styles](https://twitter.com/johnlockrry/status/1643330093949804544?ref=hyperallergic.com), the [cast](https://twitter.com/shivussy/status/1643265773345931266?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1643265773345931266%7Ctwgr%5E5ad6e87126a76286eda284e61f043d200431e71c%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5Fc10&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fhyperallergic.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D813429action%3Dedit&ref=hyperallergic.com) of *Succession*, [Gerard Way](https://twitter.com/D0CSHARTENS/status/1643316474952691714?ref=hyperallergic.com) from the emo band My Chemical Romance, Public Enemy hype man and rapper [Flavor Flav](https://twitter.com/FlavorFlav/status/1643984670663794693?ref=hyperallergic.com), [Andy Sachs](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqrKwzdPIxd/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY%3D&ref=hyperallergic.com) from *The Devil Wears Prada*, and [Jobu Tupaki](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqrPckRvRcY/?ref=hyperallergic.com) from *Everything Everywhere All At Once* all to exist in Barbie's world.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2023/04/barbie6.jpg)

Left: Artsy Barbie meme by Hyperallergic Marketing Coordinator Shari Flores; right: Barbie meme inspired by *Everything Everywhere All at Once*, created by the A24 Film Group and shared by @[borrowingtape](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqrPckRvRcY/?ref=hyperallergic.com)

What can be gleaned thus far from the two trailers and stills suggests the new movie does not shy away from camp, fully embracing Barbie’s dream-world utopia. It’s an idyllic Malibu, California, where the sun shines without pause and the color pink fills every surface imaginable.

The iconic and nostalgic aesthetic will also feature in a [pop-up dining experience](https://www.foodandwine.com/malibu-barbie-cafe-new-york-chicago-7376246?ref=hyperallergic.com) set to open in New York and Chicago next month, and Bucket Listers will collaborate with Mattel to host a Malibu Barbie Café with *Master Chef* contestant Becky Brown in Elmhurst, New York. All the hype seems to bring out the unlikeliest of Barbie fans, including [mobsters](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqqutWFOImh/?ref=hyperallergic.com), the *Scream* series’ [Ghostface](https://twitter.com/GhostfaceTalks%5F/status/1643285415477010435?ref=hyperallergic.com), and [superheroes](https://twitter.com/user31174/status/1643637644331479044?ref=hyperallergic.com). 

The cast is loaded with star power: Will Ferrell as the Mattel CEO; Robbie, Issa Rae, and Kate McKinnon as three of several Barbies; and Ryan Gosling as one of a handful of Kens. It’s part of the magic of Gerwig's Barbie World. There are infinite types of Barbies that will appear in the movie; she can be everything and anything: president, surgeon, gymnast. As Euro-pop group Aqua said in their 1997 hit song, “Life in plastic, it’s fantastic.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2023/04/barbie3.jpg)

Memes by Twitter users @[ghostfacetalks\_](https://twitter.com/GhostfaceTalks%5F?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1643285415477010435%7Ctwgr%5Edb3b8b4bb043231851a0596cb4c59ed6cf05b345%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fhyperallergic.com%2F%3Fp%3D813429&ref=hyperallergic.com) and @[highendhomo](https://twitter.com/highendhomo/status/1643411650907627522?s=20&ref=hyperallergic.com)

However, Ken is “just Ken,” as the posters point out. Gerwig and all the Kens understand the assignment and Ken’s place in Barbie lore. Speaking about his role, Gosling [joked](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9uHZ2uQ8YI&ref=hyperallergic.com) with Jimmy Fallon on *The Tonight Show* that “Ken was an accessory and not even one of the cool ones.”

Some have appreciated Gerwig’s attention to detail in the stills that some have torn apart analyzing. [Many](https://twitter.com/chrissyteigen/status/1643581590038016002?ref=hyperallergic.com) noticed Barbie's extreme arch as Robbie walks on her toes in the trailer, echoing the unnatural shape of doll's feet. And film critic Jillian Chilingerian picked out a [*Citizen Kane* reference](https://twitter.com/JillianChili/status/1643773065430712321?ref=hyperallergic.com) in a Barbie-as-president scene. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2023/04/barbie5.jpg)

Twitter user @[Shai\_Berry](https://twitter.com/Shai%5FBerry/status/1643344079625900033?s=20&ref=hyperallergic.com) picked up on the extreme arch of Barbie's feet.

Here are more ridiculous, campy, fabulous, and over-the-top *Barbie* memes and reactions to tide you over until the movie comes to theaters this summer. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqqutWFOImh/