A popular theory about the Barbie movie possibly featuring multiple Barbies and Kens has seemingly been confirmed, and it's the perfect way for Warner Bros. to represent Mattel's famous line of dolls. Conversations about the Barbie movie have been around since 2009. Margot Robbie got the titular role after the project moved from Sony to Warner Bros, and in 2021 the casting of Ryan Gosling as Barbie’s boyfriend Ken was revealed. The Barbie movie is set to be released in July 2023, and the seemingly confirmed news that there will be more than one Barbie and one Ken opens up many possibilities.
The Barbie live-action movie is co-written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach and solely directed by Gerwig, whose previous works included many movies dealing with feminist issues. Gerwig’s Barbie is rumored to similarly explore feminist themes, and little about its plot is known aside from its aim to "subvert viewers' expectations." Since filming started in spring 2022 and the first official pictures appeared showing Robbie’s Barbie and Gosling’s Ken, interest in the movie increased, bolstered by daily set photos and videos released online providing a fun and eccentric picture of what viewers can expect. Knowing now that there will also be multiple Kens and Barbies not only further adds to what little it’s known about the movie but also paints an accurate franchise representation.
From the doll’s creation in 1959, Mattel started to include more characters besides the famous blonde-haired, blue-eyed Barbie. While many complained about the lack of diversity the dolls showed, often depicting only one type of body, Mattel introduced some changes through the years. Emma Mackey confirmed the multiple Kens and Barbies theory, potentially ing Gosling and Robbie as a variation of the iconic doll. Also confirmed for the movie are America Ferrera, Scott Evans, Will Ferrell, Ncuti Gatwa, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, and Simu Liu, creating the possibility for several more Kens and Barbies. This is perfect considering the cast’s competence, but also the characterization of Mattel’s various dolls.
How Multiple Barbies & Kens In The Movie Can Work
As not a lot is known about the Barbie movie's plot aside from the fact that it's about "a doll living in 'Barbieland' [who] is expelled for not being perfect enough [as she] sets off on an adventure in the real world," the presence of multiple Kens and Barbies could work in various ways. As Ferrell playing Mattel's CEO and its synopsis suggests the Barbie movie will be set both in Barbieland and the real world, it's likely that Barbieland will feature numerous dolls that do meet the so-called "perfect" standards of the world. It's even possible these dolls could be enticed to follow the rebellious Barbie, looking for an adventure.
The concept of multiple Barbies and Kens also fit the Mattel approach in developing dolls. The dolls were all famously referred to as Barbies and Kens, as if they worked as categories, despite each having its own unique name and characterization. This way, the Barbie movie could be even more accurate in representing the way Mattel works while simultaneously offering a subversive story involving a brilliant cast.
