Barbie is on her way with all her friends in tow as the film just dropped its first trailer which proves it really is a Barbie world. Along with the latest trailer, we also have the characters’ posters, and thanks to the film’s fantastic marketing, you can join all the Barbies and Kens with your own character photo with the Barbie Selfie Generator.
Barbie has been a staple of many children’s toy cupboards for some time now and as the years progressed we got more and more types of Barbies each with their own specialty from astronaut Barbie (1965), to Marine Corps Sergeant Barbie (1992), to Computer Engineer Barbie (2010). Barbie also started diversifying the dolls appearance as they included more skin tones, and more recently introduced more body types.
This has been reflected in Great Gerwig’s film as we meet a whole host of Barbies,and Kens, all of whom have their own look and profession and are portrayed by a dizzying array of actors, with Margot Robbie as lead Barbie. The posters also showcase Emma Mackey as a Barbie with a Nobel Prize in physics, Nicola Coughlan as a diplomat Barbie, Issa Rae as President Barbie, and Hari Nef as Doctor Barbie. The character poster also includes the various Kens and non-Barbie world residents such as Will Ferrell as Mattel CEO.
Each character is set against a sky blue background, with a sparkly star frame surrounding them in various colors and the classic Barbie logo at the forefront. Now fans too can join in on the fun with the Barbie Selfie Generator which allows you to insert yourself, or a friend, into these posters using your mobile phone or computer. By simply heading to the recently launched website you can either take a new photo or upload an existing one and see yourself as part of the cast.
Once you have selected, or taken, your photo, the generator will then crop out the background using AI allowing you to see what it would look like with the backdrop, logo, and words and also allowing you to make the necessary adjustments. These adjustments include resizing the photo, moving it up, down, left, and right, and changing the color of your glittery star to one of eight shades. You can also either switch out the words that describe what Barbie you are through a random shuffle or write completely new ones in yourself.
We gave it a try here at We Got This Covered, and I used one of my own headshots (best foot forward) to see what I would look like in a Barbie world. It did take some time, and a couple of re-starts but I got there in the end. I decided to keep my glitter pink though chose to shuffle my words from mail delivery (thanks for that) to “This Barbie is a mood.” Have to say, it is fun to feel a part of the Barbie brand, even if I did prefer lightsabers to dolls as a child!
The AI-generated poster is already gaining popularity with many sharing their own versions on social media, even celebs are getting in on the game with actress Karen Gillan creating one for her MCU character Nebula. Fans have been creating posters for all of their favorite celebrities and sharing them across social media as Barbie’s world only grows.
It is a genius marketing strategy, one that has already generated a tonne of buzz for the upcoming film that already had fans totally hyped.
We can catch all these Barbies, Kens, and more when Barbie is released in theatres on July 21.