Greta Gerwig takes us on an epic ride to Barbie Land in her pink-hued movie about the classic Mattel doll, making it clear to us all that Barbie really is everything.
Since her big, blonde debut in 1959, Barbie has racked up quite the CV. She's been a chef, a doctor, an actor, and even President of the United States. She's practically the definition of a girl boss.
Barbie's beau Ken might just be Ken (sorry, Ken), but he's not the most forgotten about doll in Mattel's toy box. (As the saying goes, a win is a win).
The movie unearths some deep Barbie lore and introduces reintroduces us to Michael Cera's Allan and Emerald Fennell's Midge, Barbie and Ken's lesser-known pals. The couple have had a turbulent few decades together, so allow us to break it all down for you.
Barbie: The true story of Midge and Allan
Margaret Hadley Sherwood, or 'Midge' for short, was first introduced as Barbie's BFF in 1963. Barbie was getting some flak for being too 'sexy' for kids to identify with, you see, so Midge was put on the market to balance out the blonde bombshell with her girl-next-door appearance.
Although Midge and Barbie had the same body dimensions so they could share clothes (that's what besties are for, after all), Midge had a rounder face, auburn hair and freckles, and she wore less makeup than Barbie.
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"[Mattel wanted to create sort of a less glamorous friend of Barbie… So they created Midge," said Bradley Justice Yarbrough, a Barbie collector and historian (via History). Ouch.
One year after her debut, Midge's boyfriend and "Ken's buddy"Allan was introduced. Allan was designed to share clothes with Ken, just like Midge could wear Barbie's. His arrival also meant that he and Midge could go on double dates with Barbie and Ken on bedroom carpets everywhere. Who said romance was dead?
But, after a few short years living in Barbie and Ken's doll-sized shadows, Midge and Allan were both discontinued in 1966. #Justice4Mallan.
It wasn't until 1988 that Midge was reintroduced as California Dream Midge, while Alan (Mattel took an L out of his name, for some reason) made his comeback in 1991 for his and Midge's wedding day. Barbie was bridesmaid and Ken was best man, of course.
While it seemed like Midge was finally on the up, her downfall came in 2002 with Mattel's 'Happy Family' collection, which introduced Midge and Alan's three-year-old son, Ryan. The problem was that Midge was expecting again, and she came with a detachable pregnant belly that had a baby curled up inside.
Mattel wanted the doll to be "a wonderful prop for parents to use with their children to role-play family situations — especially in families anticipating the arrival of a new sibling," (via CBS) but pregnant Midge was criticised by some parents.
Pregnant Midge was removed from shelves, and Mattel eventually developed a version of her with a baby that couldn't be attached to her belly.
After the 'Happy Family' line was phased out, Midge didn't reappear until the 2012 animated show Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, and Alan was never seen again. Until now, that is.
Other discontinued Barbie dolls
Towards the end of Barbie, we're introduced to some other discontinued dolls who have all been exiled to Weird Barbie's (Kate McKinnion) Weird House.
It might be hard to believe now, but Growing Up Skipper was very much real. Barbie's little sister was first released in 1964, but in 1975 Mattel felt it was time for Skipper to grow up and teach kids about puberty.
This Skipper would get taller and grow breasts when you twisted one of her arms, taking her from "a young girl to a teenager in seconds!" Unsurprisingly, she was discontinued just two years later.
Rob Brydon features in the movie as Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken, who was created in 2009 as part of the adult doll collection for Barbie's 50th anniversary. Despite the suggestive name, Mattel stated that it refers to Ken's white dog, Sugar. Nice save, Mattel.
Video Girl Barbie was released in 2010 and could record around 30 minutes of video with the hidden camera embedded into her chest, which would then display on the TV attached to her back.
Shortly after her release, however, the FBI issued a cyber-crime warning to law enforcers not to overlook the doll as potential evidence in child abuse cases (via Time). They were quick to follow up and point out that there were no known cases. Mattel discontinued the doll in 2012.
For more Barbie coverage, check out:
• Barbie review
• 9 Barbie animated movies worth watching
• How long is Barbie?
• What age rating is Barbie?
• Does Barbie have a post-credit scene?
• Barbie soundtrack: how to buy
• Will there be a Barbie sequel?
• Who could be in Barbie 2?
• Barbie ending and true story
Barbie is still in cinemas, and it's also available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Microsoft Store, Apple TV+ and other digital retailers.
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Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
