Greta Gerwig's smash-hit Barbie movie has appearances from many actual discontinued Mattel dolls, including Midge the pregnant Barbie. What's the deal

Summary

• Greta Gerwig's movie "Barbie" is a huge success, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 and the first directed by a woman to surpass $1 billion.
• One of the characters in the movie is a pregnant Midge, who is played by Emerald Fennell and is based on a real doll.
• The controversial pregnant Midge doll was released by Mattel in 2002 and caused outrage among parents who believed it promoted teen pregnancy.

In Greta Gerwig's smash-hit movie Barbie, Barbieland is populated by all sorts of Barbies and Kens, and even actual discontinued Mattel dolls, like Midge the pregnant Barbie. A pop culture phenomenon the moment it hit theatres, Barbie is currently the highest-grossing movie of 2023, and represents the first film directed by a woman that surpassed the $1 billion mark. The story centers on Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie), who suffers an existential crisis that results in her traveling to the Real World to fix it. Her boyfriend Ken (Ryan Gosling) invites himself along, and he soon discovers patriarchy, which subsequently shakes up Barbieland in a disastrous way.

Most of the dolls in Barbieland are either versions of Barbie or Ken, but some are their friends, including Midge (Emerald Fennell in the Barbie cast). The Midge doll was first released in 1963 and was marketed as Barbie's best friend. Midge was considerably less glamorous than the original blonde doll, complete with freckles, less makeup, and dowdier clothes. The idea was to have a Mattel doll who was more relatable than Barbie, but few children wanted to identify with the sidekick, and the Midge doll was discontinued. However, Barbie's red-headed best friend did get some rereleases, including a controversial pregnant Midge.

Midge The Pregnant Barbie Scandalized Parents

In 2002, Mattel released a pregnant Midge doll as part of their "Happy Family" set, complete with infant accessories including a crib, baby toys, and a changing table. The actual Midge doll came with a magnetized, detachable pregnant belly. Inside the belly was a curled-up baby. Mattel's idea behind the doll was to appeal to girls aged five to eight who enjoyed playing house, as well as to families who were expecting a new sibling. However, many parents were outraged at the idea of a pregnant Barbie, as theyy believed it promoted teen pregnancy. Midge the pregnant Barbie was swiftly pulled from store shelves in December 2022 (via USA Today).

Midge The Pregnant Barbie's Husband Is Allan

Another part of the "Happy Family" set was Midge's husband who was none other than Ken's buddy, Allan. The Allan doll was released in 1964 but was discontinued two years later, though like Midge, popped up in a few re-releases, including the maligned "Happy Family" set. Also like Midge, Mattel was never able to get the marketing for Allan right, as few kids wanted to play with an inferior sidekick.

In the Barbie movie, the hilarious Michael Cera's Allan is the only one of his kind, and though he's friendly and sweet, he's desperate to get out of Barbieland and go where he's more appreciated. However, there are no references to him and Midge being a couple in the movie. Though a Barbie sequel is unlikely, a possible plot could be Midge and Allan joining forces and conspiring to take over Barbieland. Or they could escape to the Real World and attempt to finally be the main characters of their own stories. Still, as popular as the Barbie movie is, fans likely aren't clamoring for Barbie 2: Happy Family.