- (React) What do you think inspired Barbie?
Was it A, the creator's partner, B, a German sex doll,
C, models in a shoe commercial,
or D, the possibility of giving young girls body dysmorphia?
(record scratches)
- Oh my God.
(Sylvia gasps)
- Do you think Barbie's controversial?
- We are looking at Barbie's most controversial moments.
- ♪ Come on Barbie ♪ ♪ Let's go party ♪
♪ (serene music) ♪
- (Ken) Hey Barbie.
(Johnnie screams)
- I have watched this 7,000 times.
- I'm so excited for this! - Can't wait.
- So good. - Oh my God, I love it.
- So good.
- Oh my God! - This was so thought out.
They, okay, first, they said that they had
like 20 to 30 meetings about the color pink in itself.
- Oh my God.
- The shades of pink that they wanted to use.
- I mean, this is gonna be really fun,
because I think also, they're making fun of the whole thing.
- (React) So Margot Robbie stars as Barbie
in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie, releasing on July 21st.
Are you guys excited?
(Izzy screams) - Oh, I'm so excited!
- (React) So the controversy about this movie
was basically that Ryan Gosling faced criticism
after the trailer was released,
with claims that he's too old to play Ken.
- Ken is 97, please, he's fine. (Cassie laughs)
- I like him!
- I don't know, I think he's funny, I like it.
- No! - For Ken, it's really solid,
he's like a very average,
not average, but he's very like basically attractive.
- Yeah, I think get over it. - Thank you.
- It's a movie. - Thank you.
- Yeah. - Thank you.
- And I think if that's really your controversy,
you need to go outside,
because there are so many bigger problems in life.
Just get over it,
see, I thought he was really a good choice.
- (React) Let's start with a little trivia question.
What year do you think the first Barbie was released?
- 1963.
- I wanna say 1950. - 1980.
- (React) And how much do you think she sold for?
- Well, I think...
- 50 cents. - Probably like a buck and a half.
- 50 cents? - A quarter.
- Yeah, like...
- (React) A quarter? - Yeah.
- (React) Let's watch the first commercial.
- ♪ You're beautiful ♪
- Oh my gosh!
- The nostalgic feeling is overwhelming.
- And I wasn't even born yet.
- I love her makeup from that era.
- Look at her. - It's so cute.
- Slay.
- Yes! - Oh!
I think that's the one my mom had, with the black dress.
- I'm just loving this whole black and white.
- Uh-huh, right. - Like, it's a vibe.
- (both) Three dollars!
- That... - She was expensive.
- That's pretty expensive for back then.
- It's giving me like this weird loving feeling inside.
- They should remake this commercial. - It's making me very happy.
- (React) So that was the first Barbie commercial.
So what did that commercial say?
- Barbie, I'm gonna be just like you,
but until then, I'll play,
oh my God, accessories, she's so small and petite!
It's like wow, huh, eh.
- (React) Barbie Millicent Roberts, from Willows, Wisconsin.
- Woah!
- (React) She was released in 1959
in a black and white swimsuit, and her signature ponytail.
Ruth Handler created the doll,
and was the first president of Mattel.
It was a woman that created the Barbie.
- Love, girl boss! - Love that.
- (React) Girl boss.
The men who dominated the toy industry at the time
told her that nobody would want to play with a doll with breasts.
- I highly disagree with that. (laughs)
- The majority of the young queer population would firmly disagree.
- Breasts? - Who cares, that's normal.
It's on a person, why can't it be on a doll?
- Right, this is, that's ridiculous.
That's a ridiculous statement.
- Other than like baby dolls. - (React) Mm-hmm.
- I don't think girls had something like this,
and so this went into a demographic, or an age group, rather,
that was untapped.
- (React) You guys, I have a trivia question for you.
What do you think inspired Barbie?
- I'm gonna say models in the shoe commercial,
because of her feet. - Yeah, the iconic feet.
- The shoe, the shoe model.
- Um... - German sex doll, for sure.
- I'm gonna go with sex doll.
- (man) The story goes that in 1952,
a German newspaper created a character named Lillie.
A couple years later, they decided to make
a three dimensional pin-up doll.
The owner of Mattel wanted to create a doll for girls.
- A German sex... Ruth!
- It's a German sex doll. (Johnnie laughs)
It is a German sex doll.
- No, no. - You're lying, you're lying!
- (React) Born in Germany in 1952,
Lillie was the inspiration for America's most famous doll,
and she was a saucy, high-end call girl.
- At least she's high-end.
- That's disturbing.
- Ah, not surprised. - Yeah.
- (React) Alright you guys, we are moving into the 1960s,
where several iterations of Barbie began to hit the market.
Astronaut Barbie debuted, and so did this Barbie.
- (narrator) Accompany Barbie on her babysitting gigs,
a tome which was titled, How To Lose Weight.
- Aw!
- (narrator) Consumers were not only miffed with the book's title,
but were also further angered when the book's advice on the subject
was stated simply, don't eat. - No way!
- (narrator) This wouldn't be the only time
Barbie would face weight image issues, however,
as two years later, Slumber Party Barbie
would be packaged with a similar book,
and a scale topping out at 110 pounds.
- It comes with a scale? - What!?
- 5'9", and 110 pounds? That's not healthy!
- (React) Yeah, so 1965's Slumber Party Barbie
came with a scale permanently set to 110 pounds,
and a diet book just telling you to just not eat.
- With that impact, you know,
all these little girls are looking it,
and they're like hmm, I don't look like my Barbie.
- Yeah! - I wanna look like my Barbie.
- (React) Mm-hmm.
- And then it comes with this book that says don't eat,
and this is the set goal to look like Barbie.
- Severely damaging and could kill people.
- (React) Mm-hmm. - Just a thought.
- No baby, not like that.
- How can you have an astronaut Barbie,
and a you're a fatty Barbie at the same time?
Like... (both laugh)
- I don't think that did as much damage
as social media does today. - (React) (gasps) Ooh, hot take.
Alright, let's move on,
what would Barbie be without her favorite accessory?
- (both) Her car.
- Necklace. - Hairbrush.
- (both) Ken!
- (narrator) Then it happened, she met Ken,
and somehow she knew that she and Ken would be going together.
- Ew. (laughs) Girl.
Raise your standards. (laughs)
- Ken looks a little rough. - No.
- A little underwhelming. - He's Ken.
- Wow, she really is an accessory. (laughs)
- I wonder if Ken had a six pack.
- (React) So Barbie was originally marketed to teach girls
proper grooming and poise in order to gain a husband.
- Like, that's awful.
- But at the time it's...
- Yeah, but what else are you gonna do?
If you wanna get your bag,
you gotta get a man. - You gotta get your bag.
- (React) Mattel then received a lot of requests
to get a boyfriend character for Barbie,
so that she could actually...
- Have sex. - Have that stuff pay off.
- Oh. - Have all those things pay off.
- (React) There are a few theories to how they first met,
but mainly it is said that they met
on the set of their first television commercial together in 1961.
However, this recent Barbie vlog tells a very different story.
(Jayka gasps) - Oh.
- (React) Let's watch.
- (Barbie) When did we first meet?
- (Ken) Oh, that was easy, you just moved in next door,
we were eight years old,
and I brought you over a hermit crab as a housewarming present.
- I seen this!
I remember this whole series!
- I watched those unironically.
- (React) What do you think about this story?
- It's cuter, more wholesome.
- Yeah, and it makes her very grounded.
Like, she loves crabs! (both laugh)
- (React) In 1979, Malibu Ken and Barbie were released,
and they even had tan lines under their bathing suit parts.
- Really?
On their smooth mounds?
- Kind of serve. - Yeah, I love that.
- That's kind of a serve.
- (React) Some people are like why was this not more controversial?
- I don't think you realize how much...
- Nobody cared!
- Our parents were like get out!
Nobody cared about that stuff!
- Everybody gets tan lines. It's not a sexual thing.
- (React) Barbie wouldn't be anything
without her expansive group of family and friends.
- (narrator) One evening, in Barbie's Dreamhouse...
(doorbell rings) Surprise, it's Midge!
Mattel's marvelous new teenage doll!
- Midge. (laughs) - Of course.
Midge!
- Midge looks 35, I'm not gonna lie, with that hair.
- Why is her first friend a 47 year old divorcee?
- (React) Margaret Hadley Sherwood was introduced in 1963. (laughs)
- Barbara and Margaret.
- (React) People complained about Barbie
because they thought she looked too mature,
so they introduced Midge to help offset these complaints,
and they gave her a more youthful appearance.
- Youthful!? - That's youthful?
- What!? (laughs) What!?
- I'm sorry?
- My body never looked like that!
- I don't think she looks less mature.
- (React) Does anyone know who Midge's boyfriend is?
- Uh, um, no.
- (React) Allan!
- I have never heard of Allan in my life.
- I've never heard of Allan!
- Um, his eyebrows are nice. - I didn't think...
Great brows.
- Why are they both like orange and redheads?
- Allan's walking in going hey ladies!
- (React) Allan was introduced in 1964.
After many iterations of both Midge and Allan,
in 1991, it was finally time for them to get married.
- (narrator) Wedding day Midge, here's your big moment.
- (child) Do you take Allan? - (Midge) I do!
- Oh, Midge is serving! - Woah!
Her hair grew!
- Oh my God, we're getting skimpier!
- Don't peek Allan!
- (narrator) Wedding Day Midge doll has a wedding gown
that changes into a honeymoon outfit.
- To a honeymoon outfit? - Uh-huh!
- We do be pushing the standards
of basic life goals of marriage still, aren't we?
- Why would anyone care about Midge and Allan getting married,
when Barbie and Ken have been together
for way longer than Midge.
- (React) Well, in 2003, Mattel introduced a line of dolls
called Happy Family, which also sparked some controversy.
(Jair sighs) - Sure.
- Everything is so damn controversial, man.
- ♪ Together we can be ♪ ♪ Happy Family ♪
♪ Meet Midge, Allan, Ryan ♪
♪ The baby makes four ♪
♪ Happy Family ♪ ♪ With room for one more ♪
- It's a catchy song.
- I know, like I'm just rocking out to it.
- How did they get pregnant, mommy?
- I'm not gonna lie,
I would've played so hard with this if I was a kid.
- (narrator) Happy Family sets, each sold separately.
- (Johnnie) Hmm. - Oh my God, what?
- (React) So, the Midge doll is pregnant with a removable stomach,
for when she is ready to have the baby.
- That's horrifying.
- (React) Why do you think parents had a problem with this doll?
- 'Cause they didn't wanna talk about birth with their children.
They're like ugh, well,
what happens when you get pregnant babe?
- I feel like birth is normal.
When I was a little girl, I played family all the time.
- (React) Parents said that it encouraged teen pregnancy.
- That's dumb.
It's children, I don't think a six year old will be like
I'm gonna have intercourse now.
- (React) Being of age, did you know Barbie has a little sister
that came out around the same time as Midge, named Skipper?
And here is an iteration of Skipper that came out in 1975.
- (presenter) She shrinks back to a little girl,
so her boobs, feel, they disappear.
- (woman) Let me see. - Oh!
(Sylvia gasps)
- (woman) Okay, there's nothing there, really soft.
- Holy cow.
- (presenter) Twist her arm. - (woman) Mm-hmm.
- (presenter) This way, watch, she's gonna grow, watch.
Look at her boobs. - (woman) I'm looking.
- No way.
- (presenter) Now feel. - (woman) Okay.
Oh my God, they're hard little boobs.
- That's actually how it happens in real life.
- Yeah, we just go ooh!
- At the age of like 12 to 13.
- Just twist her arm, and your [censored] grow.
- (React) Yeah, so this is Growing Up Skipper,
AKA Puberty Barbie. (Sharon laughs)
She came out in 1975, and her whole gimmick
is that she can grow from a young girl
to a teenager in seconds by just twisting her arm backwards.
- Like literally why would anybody want...
- So that's the only change that we have.
- I don't think anybody really wanted that.
- No!
- How many men were on this board,
and how many women?
We need to know the numbers!
- (React) People thought teenage Skipper was being sexualized.
Do you see that at all?
- I never thought of that.
Even if there was a romantic plot point.
- I know there was those little boys at the Barbie aisle,
getting this little girl Skipper. - Yeah, I feel like little boys...
- And just take off her clothes, and be like boobs!
- But like, it's true, like, puberty is part of life.
- (Barbie) I love to shop, don't you?
- ♪ I can't believe my ears ♪ ♪ I can't believe my eyes ♪
♪ Every Teen Talk Barbie ♪ ♪ Is a different surprise ♪
- (girl) Mine says... - (Barbie) Wanna have a pizza party?
- That's bomb, they're hot, what, yes!
- (girl) And now she says... - (Barbie) Meet me at the mall!
- (girl) Cool!
- Yes, what is the problem?
- They made it like oh, this is what teenagers do.
- (React) So Teen Talk Barbie released in 1992,
and said a variety of phrases.
Which of the following phrases
do you think made people the most upset?
A, Let's plan our dream wedding, B, will we ever have enough clothes?
(Cassie laughs)
C, Math class is tough,
or D, wouldn't you love to be a lifeguard?
- All of them are upsetting.
- Maybe it's the math class one.
- (React) Mm, why do you think that?
- 'Cause like, why would girls... Women in STEM!
Women in STEM! I don't know.
- (React) It is math class is tough.
- Yeah. - Why?
- (React) People were upset that they felt like
this discouraged girls from wanting to do well in math.
- (laughs) Like you guys have a problem with anything!
- (narrator) This afternoon, Barbie's invited her friends
Christie, PJ and Stacey over to play television talk show.
- I know that's right.
- (girl) Welcome to Barbie Hour, and here's Barbie!
- (Barbie) Hi, I'm Barbie. What's your name?
- (narrator) Barbie's special guest today is PJ.
- (PJ) I'm Barbie's best friend, PJ.
- PJ! - PJ!
- (PJ) Barbie, what have you been doing lately?
- Why did Barbie look like that?
- (girl) And now, to the commercial.
- (narrator) Mattel's Barbie and her friends
are the only talking fashion dolls in the world.
- They talk.
- (narrator) They're waiting to talk to you.
- Y'all did a whole commercial introducing the black Barbie.
- And didn't one time... - And shawty didn't get a line!
Shawty didn't even get a line! (laughs)
- She was like this fast, it's like here's Barbie,
and then it was all them. - Here's PJ!
- (React) So in 1968, Mattel introduced its first black doll,
a friend of Barbie's named Christie.
The dolls came out at a pivotal time in American history as well,
and it was considered a little act of revolution
by one of Mattel's only black workers.
- Yeah, I was gonna say, the 1960s,
that's a pretty, that's really taking a pretty political stance,
for a toy, during the civil rights movement.
That's really cool.
- (React) Mattel's first black designer, Kitty Black Perkins,
later designed the first black Barbie,
not just one of Barbie's friends, but...
- As Barbie. - (React) As Barbie.
And many dolls followed throughout the years,
including one doll that really pissed people off.
- Oh!
- (React) Shall we see her?
- Yes, please! - Yes!
- Is she a black and white Barbie? - Are you kidding me!?
- She's a mixed Barbie?
- Oreo!? - And she's called Oreo?
- (React) This is Oreo fun Barbie. She came out in 1997,
as a collaboration with Oreo cookies.
One doll was black, and one was white.
- Ah. (laughs)
- (React) And Oreo is a derogatory slang term for a black person
who acts like a white person on the inside.
- That's foul! - Oh, I didn't know that!
- I think if anything, this is just a reflection of the fact
that there weren't enough... - Representation.
- Women of color working there, maybe.
- Yeah.
- Because maybe a black person who was offended by this...
- Would've said something. - Would've noticed it,
and been like eh...
- Did they have any black people in that board room, when like,
how many designers, how many levels do you get through.
- Come on! - That's so out of pocket.
Like who okayed this shh... - (Sharon) Yeah!
- This is how you know [censored] run by white people.
- For sure!
- Because that's not going through anybody!
- (React) This doll was recalled.
- Understandably so.
- (React) Because of the... - Yeah.
- Because like regardless of the intent,
the impact is what matters,
and if people were offended, people were offended.
- (React) Let's move on, we are coming back to the early 2000s.
Barbie movies started to release in 2001,
with Barbie and the Nutcracker, Barbie as Rapunzel,
Barbie as Swan Lake, and finally, this movie,
that had a very viral clip.
- ♪ I'm just like you ♪ - ♪ I think that's true ♪
- ♪ You're just like me ♪ - ♪ Yes, I can see ♪
- ♪ We take responsibility ♪
- Okay, come on, Disney Princess voice!
- ♪ We carry through ♪ - ♪ Do what we need to do ♪
- ♪ Yes, I am a girl like you ♪
- ♪ I'm just like you ♪ - ♪ You're just like me ♪
- ♪ You're just like me ♪
- Can we recreate that, you and I?
(both laugh) Dance please?
- (React) The Princess and the Pauper movie came out in 2004.
What does it bring you back to?
- I, 'cause I, oh my God.
- When I was like six, and sitting in the living room,
and had popcorn, and I was always zoned out on the TV.
- No way you were six.
- Every time I watched Barbie, it took me out of reality,
and like I said, I love movies that do that to me.
- ♪ You can touch ♪ ♪ You can play ♪
♪ If you say I'm always yours ♪
♪ You can touch, you can play ♪
♪ If you say ♪ ♪ I'm always yours ♪
- Is Ken bald?
- ♪ Come on Barbie, let's go party ♪ - Yep.
- ♪ Ah, ah, ah, yeah ♪
- ♪ Come on Barbie ♪ ♪ Let's go party ♪
- ♪ Ooh woah ♪ ♪ Ooh woah ♪
- ♪ Come on Barbie ♪ ♪ Let's go party ♪
- ♪ I'm a Barbie girl ♪ ♪ In a Barbie world ♪
- ♪ Life in plastic ♪
- ♪ It's fantastic ♪
(Cassie laughs) - ♪ You can touch my hair ♪
- (React) Does anyone know the controversy behind this song?
- You can undress me everywhere. - It's a little skimpy, yeah.
It's not meant for little kids.
- (React) In 1997, Mattel filed a lawsuit, bringing claims against MCA
which is Aqua's American record label,
claiming the song violated the Barbie trademark,
and turned Barbie into a sex object,
referring to her as a blonde bimbo.
- Oh, that's what did it! - (React) Yeah. (laughs)
- Not her [censored] growing when you move her arm.
- I concur! (laughs)
- But it was a song that did it.
- Listen, I just go back to where it started, a sex doll.
- What else did you do with her back then, Mattel, huh?
You guys made Barbie a blonde bimbo, not gonna lie!
- Also, it gave you so much clout.
- True, like that song is now synonymous
with the doll. - With Barbie.
- Barbie will forever have an impact on everyone.
Youth, older people, you know. - Mm-hmm.
- I feel like Barbie will.
- Barbie forever and ever. - Barbie forever.
- (Angel) Are you guys gonna come see the barbie movie?
- (Jayka) Of course, you wanna come with us?
- (Angel) Oh my gosh, that's so sweet, yes,
I'm gonna be there, what time are we going?
- (Jayka) Let's go right now. - (Angel) O-M-gosh.
Can we stop at the mall first? - (Jayka) Of course.
- (Angel) Yay!
- Go Sharon, go Sharon, go Sharon!
- Scissor! (both laugh)