Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past few weeks, it has been impossible to miss the pink fantasy. The obsession of nostalgia-fueled dolls went beyond cinemas to fuchsia pink conquered shops, Instagram feeds and charts on Spotify.
To be honest, I did not expect Barbie to be a deep and thought-provoking movie. I also must admit that prior to this film I never thought of Ken’s role in the Barbie world. Indeed, this movie demonstrates that nobody benefits from patriarchy. The Los Angeles Times very eloquently put together ‘… a world that disregards men and their feelings is an inverted form of patriarchy and also cruel..’1. Memes like Ken-ergy and Ken-ough spread across the wide web inviting people to have some Ken-pathy.
But let’s talk about the money. At the time of writing (7 August 2023), the film has just exceeded the 1 billion USD mark at the global office2. The director Greta Gerwig broke the record for female directors, previously held by Petty Jenkins (Wonder Woman)3. To date, Mattel announced over 15 collaborations with different brands4, from GAP to AirBnb (Ken is listing his room in Barbie’s iconic Malibu DreamHouse).
So, what impact did it have on the stock market? Since the launch date:
Source: Refinitiv
The stock market can be emotional, and it is not uncommon to see share prices reacting in line with these feelings. However, it is important to stay disciplined and look through the hype. One of the biggest challenges to Barbie is environmental impact; generally speaking, the toy industry is recognised as one of the most plastic-intensive markets. Mattel has committed to achieving 100% recycled, recyclable, or bio-based plastic materials in their products5. So maybe the future of pink is green?
And on a final note, I cannot finish this blog without mentioning Oppenheimer. With upcoming US election, I invite you to google Barbenheimer preferences mapped on Democrat/Republican electoral map. So which movie did you watch?
One of the biggest challenges to Barbie is environmental impact; generally speaking, the toy industry is recognised as one of the most plastic-intensive markets.
1 Guerrero: The 'Barbie' movie's radical message: We all need more 'Kenpathy' - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
2 "Barbie'' joins $1 billion club, breaks another record for female directors (business-standard.com)
5 Sustainable Product and Packaging | Mattel, Inc.
Information correct as of 7th August 2023
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