“Barbie” director Greta Gerwig loved playing with Barbies growing up, so when the time came to bring the world’s most famous doll to the big screen, she was well-versed in Barbie lore and infused the Margot Robbie movie with tons of pink plastic (and fantastic) details.
“There must be thousands of B’s everywhere because they also have like designs in the carpet,” Gerwig told PvNew on the pink carpet at the world premiere in Los Angeles. (She’s not kidding — we spotted the cursive “B” everywhere, on the dreamhouse walls and patterned on the windows.) Asked which “Hidden B” Easter Egg is her favorite, Gerwig played coy. “I can’t tell it. But I know it,” she teased.
So, with that in mind, PvNew scrubbed through the footage to find all the hidden details in Gerwig’s “Barbie” world.
First, there are the references to other Barbie movies. For instance, there’s a Pegasus statue carved into a rock on Barbieland’s beach, which evokes the 2005 film “The Magic of Pegasus,” while a poster of Barbie dressed as a fairy nods to the 2011 movie “A Fairy Secret.” Mattel’s “Barbie” magazine is featured at the Barbie’s sleepover,
Then, there’s the lineup of discontinued dolls. A couple have featured roles — but do you know their backstories? Michael Cera plays Allan, who was designed to be Ken’s “buddy” and can fit into all his clothes, while Emerald Fennell pops up as Midge, who (controversially) was Barbie’s pregnant bestie.
Barbie’s sister Skipper makes a cameo, but there’s also a reference to their little sister Tutti, who was released in 1965. (She and her twin brother, Todd, were both discontinued in 1971.)
Of course, not all the details are references to the Barbie universe. Fans were quick to spot “The Wizard of Oz” playing at Barbieland’s movie theater. In addition to the movie posters, PvNew spotted the yellow brick road leading to Oz just inside the venue. There’s also nods to the real world, like Barbieland’s “BAX” airport, which mirrors Los Angeles’s LAX. (Though it seems there’s a lot less traffic around Barbie’s airport!)
And Robbie’s favorite Easter Egg is a sentimental one.
“There’s a moment when Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, [played by Rhea Perlman] gives Barbie a cup of tea and our hands touch like ‘The Creation of Adam’ by Michelangelo, imitating the moment when God gives life to the first man,” Robbie told PvNew. “Greta snuck that in there.”
Watch the video above for more hidden gems that you might’ve missed during “Barbie.”
