Barbie | |
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![]() The official logo from 1959 until 1975; re-used since 2009 | |
Created by | Mattel, Inc. |
Original work | Barbie by Ruth Handler |
Owner | Mattel |
Years | 1959–present |
Print publications | |
Book(s) | 400+ (multiple publishers) |
Comics |
|
Films and television | |
Film(s) | |
Short film(s) | 4 |
Web series |
|
Animated series | |
Television special(s) | |
Games | |
Video game(s) | List of Barbie video games |
Miscellaneous | |
Toy(s) | List of Barbie's friends and family |
Related | My Scene |
Official website | |
Official website |
Beginning with the release of an eponymous video game in 1984, Barbie, a fashion doll manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and debuted on March 9, 1959, has been featured in a media franchise predominantly consisting of a film series and media formats across technologies like television and the Internet. [1] Since then, it has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time and has been referred to among fans as the "Barbie Cinematic Universe". [2]
The film series were released direct-to-video from 2001 and aired regularly on Nickelodeon as television specials in the United States from 2002, with both running until early 2017. Since mid-2017, beginning with Barbie Dolphin Magic , Mattel revamped them into streaming television films, branded or marketed them as animated "specials" with a reduced 1-hour video length as opposed to the feature films beforehand and move them to streaming media services, predominantly Netflix, but also including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV+. These films released from late 2017 onwards could still be released on home video formats, although locally, or get picked up for television broadcast in multiple countries and regions/territories. Aside the film series, Barbie has been featured in other media formats, including two animated direct-to-video specials in Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World and its sequel, Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth , both in 1987, web series like Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse , Barbie: Vlogger, Barbie Dreamtopia , Barbie's Dreamworld and Barbie: Life in the City, television shows like Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures , Barbie: It Takes Two and Barbie: A Touch of Magic , a live-action film and an interactive short film.
Barbie debuted on March 9, 1959, at the American International Toy Fair (now the North American International Toy Fair) and it was well received locally in the United States, sparking a revolution in the toy industry. Since then, numerous likenesses of the doll were released which later evolved into what is now considered as "Barbie's friends and family" and clothing and accessories to accompany them. Various print hardcover and comic books starring Barbie were also released through partnerships and/or deals with Dell Comics, Marvel Comics and currently Papercutz. [3]
In the 1980s, the net popularity and sales of the Barbie fashion doll on the toy market began to decline [4] and struggled further in 2001 when MGA Entertainment introduced a line of dolls under the name Bratz, whose sexualized characters contrasted with Barbie's older, chaste image. [5] [6] Mattel therefore attempted to overhaul the Barbie brand to keep the toy relevant to consumers in the modern age by bringing in consultants and conducting research on key market groups. Mattel consultants initially considered reducing the Barbie's breast size, but later claimed that the doll's figure could not be changed because "being consistent is one of her biggest strengths". [7] Mattel's team also considered targeting market audiences of career women and their daughters by introducing lines of Doctor or Lawyer Barbies. [8] However, Mattel's research showed that girls were spending more time online than playing with physical dolls. [4] [8] [9] Therefore, targeted career Barbies were discarded in favor of looking for more interactive platforms through online or digital media.
In response, Mattel began adapting Barbie into various facets of media and entertainment beyond the television advertisement of its dolls and related accessories (which was a prolific marketing strategy in the past). For the first 16 entries in the film series, Barbie is featured as a virtual actress playing the main character, and often being portrayed as a modern girl telling the story to one of her sisters or a younger friend – as a parable to present affairs. Scholars examining how the Barbie films differ from other princess narratives have concluded that Mattel intentionally attempted to remediate its brand based on feminist criticisms through storytelling in the films. [4] [10]
In 1987, Mattel produced two television specials with DIC Animation City and Saban Productions; Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World and its sequel Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth , both featuring Barbie as the leader of a rock band (often seen as being Mattel's answer to rival fashion doll Jem from Hasbro); Mattel had previously avoided media projects for Barbie “for fear of giving Barbie a cartoon-type personality and not leaving anything to the imagination”. Though often speculated to be potential pilots for a regular Barbie series, no series ever happened. Instead, both specials were released direct-to-video by Hi-Tops Video, the children's division of Media Home Entertainment. [11] [12] Another planned series for the fall of 1987 by the newly-formed Mattel division MTS Entertainment was, unusually, a newsmagazine aimed at kids and teenagers, intended to feature both live-action and animated segments. Due to a flooded syndication market for children, the series never progressed, beyond a presentation at the 1987 NATPE convention. [13] [14]
With the boom of home video marketing at the time, Mattel launched an eponymous in-house entertainment division in 2001 [15] and began the creation of the Barbie films with the direct-to-video release of Barbie in the Nutcracker. The films initially revolved around Barbie being re-imagined as a princess and eventually expanded into various worlds of fashion and fantasy. A primary benefit of this strategy revolved around marketing, as Mattel could sell dolls specific to each film separately from the video sales and merchandise related to props, costumes and sets from the films. [4]
Tim Kilpin, then-senior vice-president for girls marketing at Mattel, stated: "What you see now are several different Barbie worlds anchored by content and storytelling. A girl can understand what role Barbie is playing, what the other characters are doing, and how they interrelate. That's a much richer level of story that leads to a richer level of play." [16] The strategy worked as U.S. Barbie sales, led by the princess line, "increased by two percent in 2006, saving Mattel's bottom line at a time when its worldwide share of the toy market was declining." [8] [17] Within the films, Mattel included performances by well-known companies and orchestras, such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet. [4] [18] These associations could have been included as an enrichment strategy on behalf of Mattel's marketing team to help the films be seen as educational.
Canadian animation studio Arc Productions, Inc. produced the first non-Barbie-film production for Mattel in 2011, a web series called Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse which debuted on the official Barbie website and YouTube on May 11, 2012 and concluded on November 27, 2015. The web series later spawned two television specials which were broadcast in the U.S. on Nickelodeon. Impressed, Mattel gave them four Barbie films to produce, enlisting them as the third production partner for the films after Mainframe Studios (at the time known as "Rainmaker Entertainment") and Technicolor. [19]
Israeli animation studio Snowball Studios, with support from the Jerusalem Film and Television Fund, [20] produced another web series, this time created by Nickelodeon alum Julia Pistor, for Mattel Playground Productions known as Barbie: Dreamtopia . [21] [22] This series of 2-minute to 4-minute shorts launched on May 21, 2016 by Mattel's then-newest division, Mattel Creations, on YouTube's affiliate platform, YouTube Kids . The web shorts series later spawned an eponymous television film (distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and broadcast on television in over 5 countries and regions/territories), one web-based special and a 26-episode web series – therefore becoming the first web-exclusive Barbie media franchise. This would be the catalyst for scholars and enthusiasts alike to notice Mattel heavily invested and involved in releasing more related Barbie web series and miniseries bundles on YouTube and its variants; YouTube Kids and YouTube Shorts.
Through the short video bundles on YouTube, Mattel also provided a platform for Barbie to give its audience a look into her fictional life while trying to educate them along the way. With a YouTube channel having over 11 million subscribers, [23] Mattel introduced Barbie as a YouTuber through a web series called Barbie Vlogger (or Barbie Vlogs), uploading its first video on June 19, 2015. Julia Pistor, who worked on the series as an executive producer and writer, stated: "Barbie is conscious of language and words; she talks about intention and she's self-reflective. While we might use words that kids sometimes need to look up, we try to be true to Barbie being a 17-year-old influencer." By giving a self-reflective nature to Barbie's character, this would allow her to discuss difficult topics (such as mental health and racism) in such a way that it inspires its audience to think about and discuss those topics as well. [24] [25] [26]
With the success of its online platforms, Mattel would continue to produce web series and mini-series on YouTube and its variants. Beginning with Barbie: Dolphin Magic in 2017, the media franchise as a whole moved over to streaming media services, primarily Netflix, but also including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV+, with Mattel still maintaining the possibility of linear television broadcast agreements. In addition, Mattel signed an agreement on May 1, 2020 with Arts Music, Inc., a then-newest record label of Warner Music Group, to make thousands of songs from their brand portfolio – including Barbie – available through online music streaming services. [27] [28] [29] The agreement began taking effect a week later when the soundtrack albums tied to their related productions are made available through WMG's distribution label, ADA Worldwide. Mattel would extend its partnership with Netflix on October 21, 2022, 4 days before the American debut of the franchise's inaugural interactive "special", Barbie: Epic Road Trip, which would also see the pre-2017 film catalogue previously held by Universal made available occasionally through the streaming service. [30] [31] [32]
After the broadcast syndication of 2 television specials in 1987, numerous video game releases in the 1990s and the rise of home video marketing, Mattel partnered with Canadian company, Mainframe Entertainment (currently Mainframe Studios) to produce its first computer-animated feature-length film, Barbie in the Nutcracker , based on E. T. A. Hoffmann's classic tale and Tchaikovsky's accompanying ballet music, for a 2001 release through Family Home Entertainment. Mainframe continues to produce the majority of films in the series. The first decade was dominated by films based on pre-existing stories/tales, including Brothers Grimm's fairy tales: Rapunzel and The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina and Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers. [33]
The second film in the series, Barbie as Rapunzel , saw the debut of the film series on American television via Nickelodeon as television specials. For home video formats, the release of the series on VHS ceased in 2006 after Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia following a general gradual decline in the use of the format and the transfer of distribution duties for the series to Universal (taking over from Lionsgate, which had absorbed FHE and Artisan Entertainment in 2003, in part because of a breakdown in negotiations over rights fees [34] [35] [36] ) in favor of DVD releases only. The Blu-ray and digital copies (branded as "Digital HD") were introduced to accompany the DVD with the release of Barbie in the Pink Shoes in 2013. [37] [38]
Due to the popularity of the 2004 film Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper (based on Mark Twain's famous novel), a remake was released in 2012 entitled Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar , [39] which itself inspired two films with a more modern look: Barbie in Rock 'N Royals in 2015 and Barbie: Princess Adventure in 2020.
The success of the first three films ( Barbie in the Nutcracker , Barbie as Rapunzel and Barbie of Swan Lake ) led to the princess-themed lineup in the series, releasing its original princess film Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus in 2005. The first original film in the franchise, Barbie: Fairytopia , also released that year, spawned the first-in-series franchise made up of two sequels ( Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia in 2006 and Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow in 2007) and two spin-offs ( Barbie: Mariposa in 2008 and its sequel, Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess , in 2013). [40]
Starting with Barbie in A Mermaid Tale in early 2010, the film series moved away from the classic princess and fairy stories to focus on more modern themes like fashion, music and on stories revolving around Barbie's friends, family and careers. [41] Barbie: Video Game Hero, the 35th film entry released in early 2017, marked the last time a Barbie film both aired on American television and released on home video formats. [42] In 2017, the film series was put on hiatus after Barbie: Dolphin Magic , which served as the pilot to the inaugural television show in the franchise, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures , in Mattel's attempt to focus on expanding the franchise to other audiovisual media formats. Mattel later revamped the films in 2020 as animated "specials", beginning with the musical, Barbie: Princess Adventure . [43] [44]
Below is the full official computer-animated films in the media franchise:
# | Film | U.S. original release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Ref. |
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1 | Barbie in the Nutcracker | October 2, 2001 | Owen Hurley | Rob Hudnut, Linda Engelsiepen & Hilary Hinkle | [45] |
2 | Barbie as Rapunzel | October 1, 2002 | Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby | [46] | |
3 | Barbie of Swan Lake | September 30, 2003 | [47] | ||
4 | Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper | September 28, 2004 | William Lau | [48] | |
5 | Barbie: Fairytopia | March 8, 2005 | Walter P. Martishius | Elise Allen & Diane Duane | [49] |
6 | Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus | September 20, 2005 | Greg Richardson | Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby | [50] |
7 | Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia | March 14, 2006 | William Lau & Walter P. Martishius | Elise Allen & Diane Duane | [51] |
8 | The Barbie Diaries | May 9, 2006 | Eric Fogel | Elise Allen & Laura McCreary | [52] |
9 | Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses | September 19, 2006 | Greg Richardson | Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby | [53] |
10 | Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow | March 13, 2007 | William Lau | Elise Allen | [54] |
11 | Barbie as the Island Princess | September 18, 2007 | Greg Richardson | Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby | [55] |
12 | Barbie: Mariposa [lower-alpha 1] | February 26, 2008 | Conrad Helten | Elise Allen | [56] |
13 | Barbie & the Diamond Castle | September 9, 2008 | Gino Nichelle | Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby | [57] |
14 | Barbie in A Christmas Carol | November 4, 2008 | William Lau | Elise Allen | [58] |
15 | Barbie Presents: Thumbelina | March 17, 2009 | Conrad Helten | [59] | |
16 | Barbie and the Three Musketeers | September 15, 2009 | William Lau | Amy Wolfram | [60] |
17 | Barbie in A Mermaid Tale | March 2, 2010 | Adam L. Wood | Elise Allen | [61] |
18 | Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale | September 14, 2010 | William Lau | [62] | |
19 | Barbie: A Fairy Secret | March 15, 2011 | [63] | ||
20 | Barbie: Princess Charm School | September 13, 2011 | Ezekiel Norton | [64] | |
21 | Barbie: A Perfect Christmas | November 8, 2011 | Mark Baldo | [65] | |
22 | Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 | February 27, 2012 | William Lau | [66] | |
23 | Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar | September 11, 2012 | Ezekiel Norton | Steve Granat & Cydne Clark | [67] |
24 | Barbie in the Pink Shoes | February 26, 2013 | Owen Hurley | Alison Taylor | [68] |
25 | Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess | August 27, 2013 | William Lau | Elise Allen | [69] |
26 | Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale | October 22, 2013 | Kyran Kelly | Cydne Clark & Steve Granat | [70] |
27 | Barbie: The Pearl Princess | February 15, 2014 | Ezekiel Norton | [71] | |
28 | Barbie and the Secret Door | August 7, 2014 | Karen J. Lloyd | Brian Hohlfeld | [72] |
29 | Barbie in Princess Power | February 26, 2015 | Ezekiel Norton | Marsha Griffin | [73] |
30 | Barbie in Rock 'N Royals | August 13, 2015 | Karen J. Lloyd | [74] | |
31 | Barbie & Her Sisters in the Great Puppy Adventure | October 8, 2015 | Andrew Tan | Amy Wolfram | [75] |
32 | Barbie: Spy Squad | January 15, 2016 | Conrad Helten | Marsha Griffin & Kacey Arnold | [76] |
33 | Barbie: Star Light Adventure | August 29, 2016 | Andrew Tan | Kacey Arnold | [77] |
34 | Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase | October 18, 2016 | Conrad Helten | Amy Wolfram & Kacey Arnold | [78] |
35 | Barbie: Video Game Hero | January 31, 2017 | Conrad Helten & Ezekiel Norton | Nina Bargiel | [79] |
36 | Barbie: Dolphin Magic | September 18, 2017 | Conrad Helten | Jennifer Skelly | [80] |
37 | Barbie: Princess Adventure | September 1, 2020 | Ann Austen | [81] | |
38 | Barbie & Chelsea: The Lost Birthday | April 16, 2021 | Cassandra Mackay (credited as Cassi Simonds) | Ann Austen & Nathaniel "Nate" Federman | [82] |
39 | Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams | September 1, 2021 | Scott Pleydell-Pearce | Christopher Keenan & Catherine "Kate" Splaine | [83] |
40 | Barbie: Mermaid Power | September 1, 2022 | Ron Myrick | Ann Austen | [84] |
41 | Barbie: Epic Road Trip | October 25, 2022 | Conrad Helten | Aury Wallington | [85] |
42 | Barbie: Skipper and the Big Babysitting Adventure | March 16, 2023 | Steve Daye | Daniel Bryan Franklin | [86] |
43 | Barbie and Stacie to the Rescue | March 14, 2024 | Kay Christianson-Donmyer & Margaret Dunlap | Conrad Helten | [87] |
A live-action adaptation of the toy line from Mattel Films in association with LuckyChap Entertainment and Heyday Films was released on July 21, 2023 [88] [89] by Warner Bros. having wrapped on July 15, 2022. [90] [91] [92] The film was directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach, and stars an ensemble cast led by Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. [93]
Before the films and the video games, Mattel released two animated television specials in 1987. Another animated special was released on February 1, 2023 on YouTube to complement a doll line exclusively aimed at preschoolers.
Mattel has released several animated television shows, web series and miniseries since 2012 which include as follows:
Mattel produced a number of animated short films featuring Barbie as tie-ins with other titles within the franchise which include as follows:
Aside its eponymous franchise, Mattel also licensed for Barbie to appear in other related animated productions which include as follows:
The television specials released in 1987, Barbie and the Rockers: Out of this World and Barbie and the Sensations: Rockin' Back to Earth, were allegedly pitched as pilot episodes for a Barbie animated series that never materialized owing to the break-down in negotiations between DIC Entertainment and Mattel. The project eventually emerged with a whole new set of characters as Hasbro's Maxie's World in 1988. [94]
In an earlier version of the first Toy Story film, Barbie supposed to have a pivotal role. However, Mattel did not authorize her use to Pixar, as they feared the film would not be successful. Additionally, they wanted to maintain Barbie's neutrality wherein every girl who bought a Barbie doll could imagine her as they wanted, rather than as she was portrayed in a particular film. After the success of the first film, multiple Barbie dolls had small roles in Toy Story 2, before the debut of the franchise's definitive iteration in the second sequel. [114]
The 1999 short film commercial, Barbie as Sleeping Beauty, which was released on Nickelodeon as a tie-in to a doll line and video game of the same name, was originally pitched to be a full-length film. At the peak of classic princess-themed films in the 2000s, Mattel continued to pitch the idea of adapting the fairy tale based on the ballet, completing the adaptations of all three Tchaikovsky's ballets into the franchise. However, it was scrapped without any disclosure on the status of its development while doll lines were released on multiple occasions. [115] Although the reason behind the cancellation is closely linked to The Walt Disney Company being granted to trademark the name "Princess Aurora" and included the acquisition of some of the music (also based on the ballet) for its film. [116] [108]
Starting with the interactive special film Barbie: Epic Road Trip on October 25, 2022, Mattel signed a long-term deal or contract extension with Netflix to make available the pre-2017 film catalogue previously held by Universal Pictures occasionally on the service and also co-produce upcoming projects which include exclusive animated films, specials and shows based on Barbie, while still maintaining the possibility of linear television broadcast agreements and YouTube engagements. [30] [31]
Barbie began her mainstream non-advertised media appearances character is her role in the 1987 TV specials where she was voiced by Sharon Lewis. [117] She was voiced by Jodi Benson during her appearances in the Toy Story film franchise. [118] In the Barbie lead-role films, she was voiced by Kelly Sheridan in 27 films altogether. [119] Sheridan was initially succeeded by Diana Kaarina beginning with Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale in 2010, but returned to the role 2 years later with Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 [120] and stayed put until Mattel announced Erica Lindbeck as her successor from 2016. [121] The film series was put on a hiatus in 2017 for the shift in focus to the TV series, Barbie: Dreamhouse Adventures , where America Young would replace Lindbeck as the vocal provider for Barbie ahead of the film series resumption in 2020. [122] She was portrayed by Australian actress Margot Robbie in the live-action adaptation of the toyline which was released on July 21, 2023.
The first 10 films in the franchise sold 40 million DVD and VHS units worldwide by 2007, grossing over $700 million in sales. [15] As of 2013, the films in the franchise has sold over 110 million DVD units worldwide. [123]
# | Film | U.S. original release date | Video sales | Sales revenue |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Barbie in the Nutcracker | October 2, 2001 | 110,000,000 [124] | $700,000,000 [125] |
2 | Barbie as Rapunzel | October 1, 2002 | ||
3 | Barbie of Swan Lake | September 30, 2003 | ||
4 | Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper | September 28, 2004 | ||
5 | Barbie: Fairytopia | March 8, 2005 | ||
6 | Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus | September 20, 2005 | ||
7 | Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia | March 14, 2006 | ||
8 | The Barbie Diaries | May 9, 2006 | ||
9 | Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses | September 19, 2006 | ||
10 | Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow | March 13, 2007 | ||
11 | Barbie as the Island Princess | September 18, 2007 | $28,205,093 [126] | |
12 | Barbie: Mariposa | February 26, 2008 | $14,082,768 [126] | |
13 | Barbie & the Diamond Castle | September 9, 2008 | $11,643,793 [126] | |
14 | Barbie in A Christmas Carol | November 4, 2008 | $6,626,008 [126] | |
15 | Barbie Presents: Thumbelina | March 17, 2009 | $11,088,380 [126] | |
16 | Barbie and the Three Musketeers | September 15, 2009 | $19,813,585 [126] | |
17 | Barbie in A Mermaid Tale | March 2, 2010 | $18,295,349 [126] | |
18 | Barbie: A Fashion Fairytale | September 14, 2010 | $19,473,444 [126] | |
19 | Barbie: A Fairy Secret | March 15, 2011 | $14,483,518 [126] | |
20 | Barbie: Princess Charm School | September 13, 2011 | $10,254,239 [126] | |
21 | Barbie: A Perfect Christmas | November 8, 2011 | $13,019,893 [126] | |
22 | Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 | February 27, 2012 | $14,840,303 [126] | |
23 | Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar | September 11, 2012 | $18,959,311 [126] | |
24 | Barbie in the Pink Shoes | February 26, 2013 | 581,187 [127] | $10,843,872 [126] |
25 | Barbie: Mariposa & the Fairy Princess | August 27, 2013 | 271,194 [128] | $5,878,488 [126] |
26 | Barbie & Her Sisters in A Pony Tale | October 22, 2013 | 458,026 [129] | $9,454,173 [126] |
27 | Barbie: The Pearl Princess | February 15, 2014 | 368,500 [130] | $7,580,205 [126] |
28 | Barbie and the Secret Door | August 7, 2014 | 329,836 [131] | $8,488,067 [131] |
29 | Barbie in Princess Power | February 26, 2015 | 212,385 [132] | $4,655,070 [126] |
30 | Barbie in Rock 'N Royals | August 13, 2015 | 131,836 [133] | $5,006,613 [126] |
31 | Barbie & Her Sisters in The Great Puppy Adventure | October 8, 2015 | 69,950 [134] | $4,171,779 [126] |
32 | Barbie: Spy Squad | January 15, 2016 | 190,146 [135] | $2,961,549 [135] |
33 | Barbie: Star Light Adventure | August 29, 2016 | 21,154 [136] | $2,088,235 [126] |
34 | Barbie & Her Sisters in A Puppy Chase | October 18, 2016 | 22,492 [137] | $2,095,317 [126] |
Total | 112,656,706 | $964,009,052 | ||
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Barbie franchise has received multiple performing art awards. Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses [138] and Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow [139] earned nominations for Daytime Emmy Awards. Barbie the Album received twelve Grammy Award nominations and won three awards, [140] including Song of the Year, Best Song Written for Visual Media (for "What Was I Made For") and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. The film also received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Gosling), Best Supporting Actress (Ferrera) and two nominations for Best Original Song (for "I'm Just Ken" and "What Was I Made For"). It eventually won Best Original Song (for "What Was I Made For"). [141]
Mattel has produced dozens of Barbie video games since the 1980s. These games often are tie-ins with other titles within the franchise. Since 2018, video games based on Barbie media are produced by Budge Studios. [142]
Mattel has produced more than 400 books published by multiple authors and publishers based on Barbie since the early 1990s. Every film in the franchise has an eponymous book adaptation. [143]
Mattel has produced a series of comic books about Barbie published by Dell Comics between 1962 and 1963 and Marvel Comics between 1991 and 1996. Since 2016, Papercutz is currently the publisher of graphic novels based on Barbie which are usually tie-ins with other titles within the franchise. [3]
Mattel has released dozens of soundtrack albums and compilation albums based on Barbie since the early 1990s. Most of the films, especially those under the musical genre, are accompanied by their eponymous soundtracks. [149]
On February 14, 2021, film and media podcast, Cult Popture, released an 18-hour episode of Film Franchise Fortnights covering all of the 37 Barbie films released at the time. During the production of the episode, a 38th film was announced. [152]
Mattel, Inc. is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth and Elliot Handler in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. Mattel has a presence in 35 countries and territories; its products are sold in more than 150 countries. Mattel consists of three business segments: North America, International and American Girl.
Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll which Handler had purchased while in Europe. The figurehead of an eponymous brand that includes a range of fashion dolls and accessories, Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over six decades. Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company's largest and most profitable line. The brand has expanded into a multimedia franchise since 1984, including video games, animated films, television/web series, and a live-action film.
Bratz is an American fashion doll and media franchise created by former Mattel employee Carter Bryant for MGA Entertainment, which debuted in 2001.
She-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated series produced in 1985 by Filmation. A spin-off of Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, She-Ra was aimed primarily at a young female audience to complement He-Man's popularity with young males. Unlike He-Man, which was based on the Masters of the Universe toy line by Mattel, the creation of She-Ra was a collaboration between Filmation and Mattel. The initial group of characters and premise were created by uncredited writers Larry DiTillio and J. Michael Straczynski for Filmation, while the characters introduced later were designed by Mattel. Mattel provided financial backing for the series, as well as an accompanying toy line. The series premiered in 1985 and was ended in 1987, after 2 seasons and 93 episodes.
MGA Entertainment Inc. is a manufacturer of children's toys and entertainment products founded in 1979. Its products include Bratz, Num Noms, Lalaloopsy, and Rainbow High, as well as toys targeted at boys such as Scan2Go. MGA also owns Little Tikes and animation studio MGA Studios.
Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper is a 2004 animated musical fantasy film. It was released to video on September 28, 2004, and made its television premiere on Nickelodeon on November 14, 2004.
Barbie: Fairytopia is a 2005 animated fantasy film directed by Walter P. Martishius and William Lau and written by Elise Allen and Diane Duane. The film premiered on Nickelodeon on March 6, 2005, and was released on VHS and DVD two days later. It was distributed internationally through Universal Pictures Video and Entertainment Rights.
Barbie as Rapunzel is a 2002 animated fairy tale film co-produced by Mainframe Entertainment and Mattel Entertainment, and distributed by Artisan Home Entertainment.
Barbie in the Nutcracker is a 2001 animated fantasy film co-produced by Mainframe Entertainment and Mattel Entertainment, and distributed by Artisan Home Entertainment.
Monster High is an American multimedia-supported fashion doll franchise created by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by Mattel in 2010. The show is aimed at children ages 7-14, the franchise features characters inspired by monster movies, sci-fi horror, thriller fiction, folklore, myths and popular culture, centering around the adventures of the teenage children of monsters and other mythical creatures attending a high school of the same name.
Barbie Dolphin Magic or Barbie: Dolphin Magic is a 2017 animated adventure television film directed by Conrad Helten and written by Jennifer Skelly.
Barbie Dreamtopia, Barbie: Dreamtopia or simply Dreamtopia, is a web-based children's media franchise created by Julia Pistor for Mattel Television which was active from 14 January 2016 to 21 October 2021.
Mattel Films is the film production division of Mattel originally formed on October 16, 2013, as Mattel Playground Productions as part of Mattel Global Brands, a unified media structural and strategy unit.
Mattel Television is the television production division of American toy and entertainment company Mattel, originally founded on 31 March 2016 as the successor to Mattel's earlier entertainment division, Mattel Playground Productions, under the name Mattel Creations.
Barbie: Princess Adventure is a 2020 animated musical adventure comedy children's streaming television film directed by Conrad Helten and written by Ann Austen, which was first released on Netflix in the United States on September 1, 2020.
Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams is a 2021 animated musical adventure buddy film directed by Scott Pleydell-Pearce, produced by Emory Ronald "Ron" Myrick and written by Christopher Keenan and Catherine "Kate" Splaine.
Barbie: It Takes Two is a 2022 CGI-animated adventure comedy children's television series serving as the television adaptation of and based on the 2021 television film, Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams.
But it wasn't until 2001 that Mattel started to get into productions of their own, mostly with direct-to-DVD content. Mattel launched its own in-house entertainment division that year and since then has sold 40 million copies of 10 Barbie DVD and VHS titles, generating more than $700 million in revenue.
See the last screen of the video for proof.
Originally distributed by DIC Enterprises in the fall of 1987, Barbie and the Rockers: Out of This World was supposed to have been the pilot for a Monday-Friday Barbie cartoon series. Unfortunately, negotiations between DIC and Mattel fell through, and the project eventually emerged with a whole new set of characters—and the sponsorship of Mattel rival Hasbro—as Maxie's World in 1988.
The launch of My First Barbie is accompanied by the first-ever Barbie content dedicated to preschool-aged children, titled "My First Barbie: Happy DreamDay," which will debut Jan. 31 on the Barbie YouTube channel. The animated special follows Barbie and her friends as they prepare for a surprise party. Storylines highlight preschool themes of friendship and family, with simplified plots, original music and life lessons. The four main dolls featured in the special are Barbie "Malibu" Roberts, Barbie "Brooklyn" Roberts, Teresa and Renee.
Among them are the upcoming YouTube series "Barbie: Life in the City," TheWrap can exclusively reveal. Due to hit the platform on Sept. 15, the digital series is focused on "Brooklyn," expanding her character and giving fans the chance to understand her role and prominence within the brand. A third project in the works is "Barbie: It Takes Two Part 2," which TheWrap can reveal will premiere Oct. 1 on Netflix. It will once again follow Brooklyn and Malibu Barbies as they engage in "city hijinks and aspirations of musical stardom."
(Barbie: A Touch of Magic) will make its U.K. TV premiere exclusively on free-to-air children's channel POP on Monday, September 4.
2009 She's Barbie! Mattel Entertainment scraps plans for a Barbie Sleeping Beauty movie after Disney tries to trademark the name "Princess Aurora." Mattel releases its umpteenth version of Sleeping Beauty Barbie anyway.
This month, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Barbie in the Nutcracker, Mattel is bringing the magic of Barbie to your home this holiday season. As part of this iconic anniversary, Mattel will be livestreaming the final act from Barbie in the Nutcracker on loop on YouTube until December 27 to allow families to relive this fan-favorite film together.
... (they've sold over 110 million Barbie DVDs to date!) ....