A quintessential part of many a girl’s playtime growing up is playing with their dolls. The most iconic of these, Barbie, has come a long way since beginning her career in 1959. Having tried her hand at Dentistry, Yoga Teaching, Naval pursuits, Architecture – amongst many other professions – Barbie’s latest venture takes her higher than any other career has ever allowed: as a superhero.
Mattel has manifested the superpowers of the blonde bombshell into a feature-length film, where she prepares to fight the forces of evil with one swift swish of her multi-coloured cape. Barbie stars as Kara, a modern-day princess with an everyday life. One day, after being kissed by a magical butterfly, Kara soon discovers she has amazing super powers allowing her to transform into Super Sparkle, her secret, crime-fighting alter ego.
To delve deeper into the magical world of Super Sparkle, we spoke with Chief Executive of Mattel John Louie to learn more about the her latest movie and where Barbie is headed to next.
RESCU: Barbie’s latest incarnation is as Super Sparkle super hero. I can tell you this was quite an inspiration for my 4 year old! For those who haven’t heard, can you tell us a little about the newest Barbie to hit shelves?
JOHN LOUIE: Barbie has always celebrated that incredible imaginative quality that young girls possess. We want to celebrate the rise of the female heroines, so Barbie as a superhero is a natural progression for the brand. As a modern day superhero, Barbie gives girls superpowers to make anything possible and encourages girls to discover their inner strengths and celebrate their own acts of being super.
RESCU: Barbie has been a vet, a doctor, a designer, a computer engineer, an entrepreneur… what made Mattel decide to debut her as a super hero?
JOHN LOUIE: The world of superheroes has largely been tailored to boys’ preferences – stories that emphasise conflict and action where good guys vanquish evil villains. Our research revealed that girls also appreciate empowered heroes but want stories that let them play out dynamic relationships, Mattel created a Barbie superhero character that not only has extraordinary abilities, but also uses powers of forgiveness and friendship to defeat her foe. This insight is the reason why the Barbie superhero character is so uniquely compelling to girls.
RESCU: The movie shows a new, 2015 version of Barbie. Still a pink princess, living a beautiful life, she is now a child of the digital generation and has a social conscience. How do you research and update Barbie for each generation?
JOHN LOUIE: Barbie has always been engrained in pop-culture – she has been to space, been a popstar and even a president! Being a superhero is another first for Barbie, empowering girls to discover their inner strengths and celebrate their own acts of being super.
RESCU: We were also interested to see that the Dark Sparkle nemesis wound up being on the good side! Was there a reason the sassy and generally negative protagonist switched sides while in male-focused films the bad guys are defeated as bad guys?
JOHN LOUIE: As a brand for girls by girls, Barbie set out to find what girls wanted and delivered a female Superhero character and themes uniquely for them. Among other learnings, we found that teamwork and friendship are two critical themes in the way girls look to solve conflict.
RESCU: Barbie’s career choices and portrayal as female role models have sometimes come under fire. Social commentators were dismayed that Engineer Barbie needed to ask her male friends to do most of the work the minute something went wrong. We saw the Princess Power film and noticed a lot more female power, and this time the male characters seemed a little insipid or evil. Will our Barbie ever live in a world where men and women are portrayed outside of stereotypes or as rivals?
JOHN LOUIE: Girls know that they can do anything and be anything. Recognising that girls appreciate empowered heroes but want stories that let them play out dynamic relationships, the superhero storyline of ‘Barbie in Princess Power’ focuses on strength of character, friendship and teamwork. As a modern day superhero, Barbie gives girls superpowers to make anything possible and encourages girls to discover their inner strengths and celebrate their own acts of being super.
RESCU: Now that Barbie has ticked superhero off her list, can you reveal anything about where she’s headed next?
JOHN LOUIE: Barbie as a superhero will continue to be an important part of the brand’s toy and story lines with evolving narrative that will invite girls to play out new themes and discover their own superpowers in years to come.
Without revealing too much – we are excited to share that Barbie will star in an all-new musical movie – Barbie in Rock ‘N Royals. So stay tuned!
