Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the Barbie movie is set to become one of this year’s – if not this decade’s – most talked about films. Of course, the titular character needs very little introduction. Launched in 1959 by Mattel Inc, Barbie is as widely recognisable as a bottle of Coca Cola or the Nike logo.
Over the years, there have been many different Barbies released onto the market: from Dentist Barbie to surfer girl Malibu Barbie, the plastic princess has done it all. But some creations have been rather odd, and we have three that will certainly make you raise your eyebrows.
The Birds Barbie: Released in 2008, this Barbie was modelled on the character of Melanie Daniels in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, which was played by Tippi Hedren. We won’t be spoiling the plotline by saying that the film is about birds that end up becoming somewhat aggressive. For all intents and purposes, this was a great movie, but we can’t say that we expected to see a Barbie doll being attacked by three crows to commemorate it.
The Video Girl Barbie: Barbie has always been renowned for having some of the coolest accessories around, but Mattel took it to the next level in 2010 when it released Barbie Video Girl, which had a camera in her chest and a full-colour LCD screen in her back. This was essentially a fully-functional video camera that allowed kids to film their own videos, in fact, the FBI actually released a statement to remind officials that this Barbie could help in certain cases.
Midge & Baby: Midge is not Barbie, but she is made by Mattel and, as Barbie’s friend, exists in the same universe. This doll’s claim to fame is that it came with a detachable belly, which kids were encouraged to take off in order to discover a baby girl doll. Sounds a bit gruesome, no?
