Barbie: The “Cancelled” Barbies Explained

Barbie is now. in theaters and one of the best things about the film — which is breaking box office records — is the various Easter eggs and nods to the Mattel toy’s rich history that filmmaker Greta Gerwig has tucked into the movie. Sprinkled throughout Barbie are plenty of nods to the toy’s history, from architecture in the form of the various Dreamhouses to the inclusion of many beloved fashions that the dolls have worn over the years. The best Easter egg, however, might be some of the dolls themselves. Barbie includes references and appearances by a number of so-called “cancelled” dolls from Barbie’s nearly seventy-year history — including a few that are so wild you’ll hardly believe they were real.

Warning: spoilers for Barbie beyond this point.

Even from the early trailers and character posters, fans knew that Barbie would include references to the larger world of Barbie and her friends, including discontinued dolls, when it was revealed that both Allan (Michael Cera) and Midge (Emerald Fennell) would appear in the movie. But those weren’t the only cancelled or discontinued dolls that made an appearance. Specifically, there are five such dolls that appear in the film that are almost too weird to believe: Sugar Daddy Ken, Growing Up Skipper, Earring Magic Ken, Teen Talk Barbie, and Video Girl Barbie. The dolls appear at Weird Barbie’s (Kate McKinnon) house and are the only dolls not brainwashed by Ken’s overthrow of Barbieland (along with Allan). They end up being part of the plan to help save Barbieland from becoming a “Kendom” permanently. Let’s break them down.

Growing Up Skipper

Released in 1975, Growing Up Skipper was a version of Barbie’s little sister intended to help teach girls about puberty. When you moved one of the doll’s arms, she would get taller and her breasts would also get bigger, taking her from “a young girl to a teenager in seconds!” per the box. She was sold along with a Growing Up Ginger doll, but they were discontinued. In Barbie, this version of Skipper is played by Hannah Khalique-Brown.

Video Girl Barbie

In 2010, Mattel released Video Girl Barbie. The doll was actually a functional video camera that could film up to 30 minutes of video and stream it to a computer. Unfortunately, the FBI saw the doll as a threat, issuing a cyber-crime alert shortly after the doll’s release with concerts that it could be used in appropriately as a dangerous tool for pedophiles. No incidents of the doll’s video capabilities being misused was ever reported, but Mattel discontinued the doll in 2012. Mette Towley plays Video Girl Barbie in the film.

Earring Magic Ken

In 1993, Mattel gave Ken a new look with Earring Magic Ken, complete with a pastel purple mesh shirt and pleather vest. They also accessorized him with an earring in just one ear and a necklace with a ring-style pendant. Unfortunately, the doll received backlash for what was perceived as association with the LGBTQ+ community — in part because of what people perceived the necklace to look like — prompting Mattel to not only discontinue the doll but recall it as well. In the film, he’s played by Tom Stourton.

Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken

This one might be the funniest one of all. In 2005, as part of the celebration of Barbie’s 50th anniversary, Mattel released Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken. Part of a collector line geared towards adults, the doll had a more sophisticated style and came with a little dog, Sugar (hence he’s “Sugar’s Daddy”). The doll was intended to give Ken a place in the popular Barbie Fashion Model Collection, but fans definitely had their own interpretation. He’s played by Rob Brydon in the movie.

Teen Talk Barbie

One of the most controversial Barbies in history, Teen Talk Barbie was released in 1992 and could say things — and that’s what got her into trouble. Of the four phrases the doll could say, one of them was “Math class is tough!” which prompted critics to slam the doll for the implication that girls can’t do math. The doll wasn’t technically discontinued like the others on this list, but Mattel did remove that phrase from her settings and offered refunds to customers who wanted to swap out the doll with that phrase for one without. The doll appears briefly in Barbie, played by Marisa Abela — but does not speak.

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera , Kate McKinnon , Michael Cera , Ariana Greenblatt , Issa Rae , Rhea Perlman , and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey , Hari Nef , Alexandra Shipp , Kingsley Ben-Adir , Simu Liu , Ncuti Gatwa , Scott Evans , Jamie Demetriou , Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya , Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren . Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach , based on Barbie by Mattel . 

Barbie is in theaters now.