Four of the Best Times Barbie Hit Pop Culture Superstardom

‘Barbie Girl’
'Come on Barbie, let’s go party!’

One of the most successful songs of all time, ‘Barbie Girl’ shot the Danish pop group Aqua to the stratosphere in 1997. The third single from their debut album, Aquarium, the Europop banger remained as a number one hit on the UK charts for several weeks, and has racked up over one billion views on YouTube.

Unfortunately, the single won’t make an appearance in the upcoming Barbie film, with bad blood still lingering between longtime Barbie manufacturer, Mattel and the band. Shortly after the song hit the airwaves, Mattel filed a lawsuit against MCA Records for trademark infringement, arguing that the song framed Barbie as a sex object.

A judge eventually dismissed the case in 2022, ruling that both ‘parties are advised to chill.’

‘Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy’
A Springfield satire on Mattel’s ‘Malibu Barbie’ – from the line of Teen Talk Barbie dolls in the 1990s – the ‘Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy’ episode of The Simpsons first aired in 1994. Challenging the dollmakers to manufacture a more progressive doll, Lisa teams up with the fictional Malibu Stacy creator, Stacy Lovell, to create Lisa Lionheart – an outspoken, positive role model for children.

Back in real life, Teen Talk Barbies eventually became controversial for their use of recorded lines like ‘Math class is tough’. Malibu Stacy spoke similarly cringe-inducing phrases in the show, some of the highlights include, ‘I wish they taught shopping at school’, and ‘Let’s bake some cookies for the boys’.

Saturday Night Live Debut with Britney Spears
Appearing inside Barbie’s Dreamhouse on Saturday Night Live in 2002, Britney Spears plays Barbie's sister, Skipper, while Amy Poehler plays a 43-year-old Barbie. Later revealed to be Skipper’s mother, Barbie reveals the true identity of her father, a Han Solo action figure – not Ken.

There was also another layer of irony to the SNL skit, with Spears having her own line of Barbie-like dolls debuting in the late 1990s. Produced by Play Along Toys, the product became the second highest-selling celebrity doll of all time, behind only the Spice Girls.

Toy Story 
One of the more unforgettable characters in Toy Story, Barbie, and boy toy Ken, steal the show multiple times throughout Pixar’s animated juggernaut, the pair appearing in various guises in the franchise. Still, it’s hard to top the duo’s impromptu catwalk in Toy Story 3, with Ken rifling through his wardrobe to CHIC’s ‘Le Freak’.

Mattel had originally refused Pixar the right to use Barbie in their films, citing fears of box office failure. Mattel were also apprehensive about giving Barbie a ‘personality’, saying that a child would typically imbue the toy with its own distinct personality.

Later, after the success of the original Toy Story (and the Pixar company more broadly), Mattel quickly changed their mind.