Kate McKinnon’s ‘Weird Barbie’ From The ‘Barbie’ Movie Is Finally Getting Her Own Doll

Aug 07, 2023

“Barbie” is a fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig and written by her and her partner, filmmaker Noah Baumbach. The movie, which is based on Mattel’s Barbie fashion dolls, is the first live-action Barbie film after several animated versions.

On July 21, 2023, “Barbie” premiered in cinemas worldwide and has become an instant phenomenon and has since been considered a pop culture treasure. What made the movie special, according to many, was how relatable and poignant the film was as opposed to those who mistook it to only be a fluff comedy about the famous doll. 

“Barbie” follows Barbie and Ken on their journey to self-discovery following Barbie’s existential crisis. The film is nothing like any of the other CGI animated versions that were earlier released. It is progressive, portraying a matriarchal society where all women are self-confident, self-sufficient and successful. While their male counterparts spend most of their time engaging in recreational activities, the Barbies hold on to important job positions. They are decision-makers like lawyers, politicians and doctors in the Barbie verse.

The film features a star-studded cast, including Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Other cast members that appear in the movie include America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Helen Mirren and Will Ferrell.

Notably, McKinnon played perhaps one of the most relatable characters in the movie – “Weird Barbie” – a perfect representation of all the Barbies that were played with a little “too much” by their owners. On August 4, 2023, Mattel announced that McKinnon’s Barbie character would finally be available for sale in doll form.

The idea for the live adaptation of the film has been in the works for years. It was announced in September 2009 by Universal Pictures with Laurence Mark as the producer. But over time, many changes came into play, with changes made in the production team, writing, and even the cast. The film made headway in October 2018 after rights were transferred to Warner Bros. Pictures. Robbie was announced as Barbie in 2019, and Gerwig was announced as director and co-writer with Baumbach in 2021. In 2022, the rest of the cast members were announced, and filming took place across three locations.

As of August 6, 2023, and barely three weeks into its phenomenal run worldwide, “Barbie” has reached the billion-dollar box-office threshold, making Gerwig the first solo female director to have been a member of the Billion Dollar Club, CNN reported. 

Part of that success was the actual relatability of the characters and the representation it brought for many people worldwide. Like many iterations of “Barbie” in the real world, the movie showcased their variation very brilliantly. Other supporting characters were Doctor Barbie, Diplomat Barbie, Pulitzer-Winning Author Barbie, President Barbie, Journalist Barbie, Supreme Court Justice Barbie, Physicist Barbie, and even Weird Barbie. 

“Weird Barbie” was played by “SNL” Comedienne McKinnon. According to her in an interview with Extra, “Weird Barbie” is that Barbie whose owners had “cut the hair, burned the clothes, and drew marker on the face,” adding that she has been “cast out by society” and has such a “birds-eye view” of the whole Barbieland. 

In the movie, McKinnon’s Barbie helped Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie go to the real world, where she met Ferrera’s Gloria and realized that the world was not what they thought it would be for women. “Weird Barbie” also became instrumental in saving Barbieland following later developments in the movie, which we won’t spoil for anybody who hasn’t seen the movie yet. 

Talking about creating “Weird Barbie,” director Gerwig explained to Rolling Stone how the inspiration came about. 

“We grew up in a neighborhood where there were a lot of girls older than me. So I had a lot of hand-me-down Barbies that had already gotten a haircut by the time I got them,” she explained. “It was like, “Well, we have to do that.” It felt almost like a spiritual conduit to the world of play through that Barbie. Remember that book The Giver, by Lois Lowry, where the giver has all the colors and the feelings and stuff? That’s sort of what I thought about Kate’s character. She would be like the giver in a way like she had the knowledge that everyone else didn’t have.” 

On August 4, 2023, days before the cultural phenomenon that is “Barbie” reached the billion-dollar threshold at the box office, Mattel finally announced that “Weird Barbie” would be then sold moving forward. 

In an Instagram post, Mattel announced that it’s “time to get weird.” 

“Inspired by her look in @BarbieTheMovie, Weird #Barbie knows what it’s like to play just a liiiiittle too much! Pre-order your official movie doll by August 18, only at #MattelCreations. #BarbieTheMovie is now playing in theaters,” they said in the caption. 

In contrast with the real-life Weird Barbies spreading on TikTok, Mattel’s new “Weird Barbie” is intact, looking very much like McKinnon’s character in the movie. 

Have you watched “Barbie” already? What can you say about Kate McKinnon’s character? Have you had a “Weird Barbie” before? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other “Barbie” fans out there!