Come on Barbie, let’s go party.
Or not.
If you have social media, then you’ve posted or seen others post the Barbie movie character posters. You know, the blindingly bright blue background with a body in the middle and a catchy headline. Here’s one, for example, because we’re here for gay love.
This is all in promotion of the upcoming, live-action Barbie movie produced by Sony and distributed by Warner Bros. After a series of delays, Barbie is finally hitting theaters worldwide on July 21, 2023.
The campy feature, directed by Greta Gerwig, is fronted by Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken. A slew of other celebrities will take part in the movie as different variations of the classic Mattel dolls. But you know what won’t be in the movie? The iconic and gay classic hit ‘Barbie Girl’ by Danish-Norwegian Europop group Aqua.
Aqua rose to fame when they released two multiplatinum, internationally success albums between 1997 and 2000. Their biggest hit, ‘Barbie Girl,’ found cult status in 1997 when it reached #1 in over 12 different countries (#7 in America). It went on to sell more than 9,000,000 copies worldwide. Aqua still tours in 2023, with a reunion album topping the charts in Denmark in 2011 and a new cover single debuting in 2021.
The total cost of the upcoming Barbie movie is about $100,000,000. That’s why Sony, Warner Bros. and Mattel are pumping out trailers and promotional materials like loads at a OnlyFans gangbang. Not that Robbie and Gosling aren’t extremely talented, but I don’t see a movie with this content being a box office success. The trailers may help drum up an audience, but expectant ‘Barbie Girl’ fans remain perplexed that the queer anthem is absent from every marketing scheme.
Indy1000 and Variety have the answer why.
Indy1000 quotes Aqua’s lead singer Lene Nystrom as calling the inclusion of ‘Barbie Girl’ in the Barbie movie “cheese on cheese,” and that the group isn’t particularly interested in having it included in the soundtrack.
Luckily, filmmaker Drew Hytt edited the song into the most recent Barbie trailer. Thanks for this one, Indy1000 and Drew Hytt. Our little, gay dreams were made true!
I re-edited the Barbie Trailer with Aquas "Barbie Girl" the way it should have always been. #BarbieMovie #BarbieTheMovie #aqua #MargotRobbie #GretaGerwig #RyanGosling pic.twitter.com/qwzbh69Bc5
— Drew Hytt (@drewhytt) April 5, 2023
Variety, on the other hand, takes a more logical approach. Unbeknownst to the gays, but not completely illogical, the source states that Mattel sued Universal Music and Aqua for a trademark lawsuit and further alleged that the lyrics of the hit song would hurt the Barbie brand. Universal Music countered that the song was covered by the parody clause protected by the First Amendment and launched a countersuit against Mattel for defamation.
Such drama! It’s fantastic!
The court case raged for over 5 years but was eventually dismissed in 2002. Still, I can see why Aqua’s track is not officially appearing in the Barbie movie. As who would really want to reopen that can of worms?
Are you seeing the movie in July? Comment and let me know!