Google will hit you with flashing pink sparkles and pink-instead-of-blue links upon searching "Barbie movie." Then, as always, it'll list a few other similar question that people are also asking.
One recurring question wonders what you should wear to the Barbie premiere, mirroring TikTok queries like "Barbie outfit ideas" and "Barbie movie outfits" that autofill when you type just "Barbie" into the search bar. These are valid concerns, of course — Barbara Millicent Roberts instilled in us the importance of slaying at all times.
SEE ALSO: 'Barbie' review: Bonkers, bold, and a bit of a miracleHowever, a greater quest is looming: Ask not what to wear to see the Barbie movie, but how you can wear the Barbie movie to life.
Half of the approach will lie in attitude. The other half lies in cute merchandise.
Barbie era forever
Barbiecore (the trend) actually started gaining momentum months before we even had a live-action trailer teaser. The pink paramountcy first sparked around August 2022, a few months after we got our very first look at Margot Robbie as Barbie that April 2022. If you ask the people whose nightly routine as a kid involved a bath with a ratty Barbie towel before a cozy snooze in Barbie bedsheets, the Barbiecore lifestyle was a thing lightyears before there was a name for it.
Greta Gerwig's movie's impact has been so inescapable for the past few months that it's kind of hard to imagine a world where pink, palm trees, or pops of swirly retro florals weren't everywhere you look. Sweet treat spots like Pinkberry and Cold Stone Creamery have introduced special flavors that look deliciously questionable, and Burger King Brazil smothered cheeseburgers in pink sauce (not to be confused with the controversial one from TikTok). There are also just... so many pink versions of products that you may have never known existed — enough so that we made a whole gift guide about them. Razer gaming laptops, PlayStation controllers, you name it — once Apple gives in with a pink iPhone, the yassification truly will know no bounds.
The key differentiator between summer 2022 Barbiecore and summer 2023 Barbiecore is that much of the recent Barbified merchandise is the result of a brand's official collaboration with Barbie ahead of the movie's release. It's not just pink — it's official Barbiecore.
SEE ALSO: She's a Barbie girl, in a new worldMore than 20 brands are doing Barbie collabs, but some just feel a little more iconic than others. We haven't yet lost hope for an official Barbenheimer collab (can't imagine that a pink fedora and cigarette bundle wasn't a hit at some roundtable, but OK), but until then, here are the top 10 Barbie brand collabs, ranked from pretty precious to ultimate cunt-serving:
Credit: RuggableKicking off our top 10 is a purchase that would perhaps best prove one's dedication to Barbiecore: a huge rug. If you missed your chance to book Ken's room in Barbie's Malibu Dreamhouse on Airbnb, this would be a great first step toward your own subtle Dreamhouse.
Ruggable's beloved machine-washable rugs are available in the pink and ivory pattern pictured here, bright pink ombré, Barbie Signature Chevron (original 1959 bathing suit style), and ivory and gold palm trees, plus pink logo doormats. We wouldn't be mad if a less-muted design or two also existed, but this Barbie can appreciate practicality. (Use code BDAY23 to get 20% off any Ruggable purchase through July 25.)
9. Barbie x Chi
Credit: ChiLike Barbie, Chi has successfully stood the test of time — ask anyone who was still using their middle school Chi flat iron in college. You can score one of those classic $99.99 one-inch ceramic hair straighteners in any of Chi's four Barbie-related color schemes: the Totally Hair collection, which takes inspo from 1991 Totally Hair Barbie: Mattel's best-selling Barbie ever, the pastel pink and gold Dreamhouse collection, the baby pink Dream Pink collection, and the Malibu collection, which has a pastel turquoise option and a colorful beach graphics option.
Other Chi hair tools like the Titanium Triple Barrel Deep Waver and Ceramic Rotating Curler are available in select Barbie collections, as well as a (sold out) Malibu travel kit including a travel dryer.
Credit: BéisShay Mitchell's luggage line continues to go off for no reason with a deliciously simple Barbie collab. The Barbie pink collection includes the Carry-On Roller, 26-inch and 29-inch sizes of the Check-In Roller suitcases, a wallet, and more — all of which were received so well by the internet that they sold out nearly immediately (there is a waitlist for a restock, though).
Our favorite piece is the all-pink Mini Weekender: the small version of possibly the most practical weekender bag in modern history, which features a separate zippered shoe compartment in the bottom of the bag.
Credit: Canada PoochThe selfless people who devoted countless hours to Barbie Pet Rescue in the early 2000s are grown up now. And that means they can spend their adult money on whatever they want, like a denim vest with the Barbie logo for their dog. Canada Pooch's collab with Barbie features 20 items total, covering wardrobe staples like pink ponchos, T-shirts, vests, and bandanas, accessories like leashes, harnesses, and a fanny pack for treats, and of course, plush toys.
Credit: Vans / MattelUnder the rubble of the sold out Superga Barbie collection and the almost sold out ALDO Barbie collection hides one more highly-anticipated Barbie shoe mashup... that has yet to be released. Vans has been teasing a collaboration with Barbie since early July without mention of a drop date or number of pairs that will be involved. The public is being made to wait longer to rock their Barbie Vans than they are to see the damn movie itself, as the collection is still under wraps as of July 21. You can be notified when that happens by signing up on the Vans website.
Credit: NYXNYX stays stealing the drugstore makeup show. The collection includes Barbie movie-inspired versions of crowd-favorite NYX products like the Jumbo Eye Pencil and Butter Gloss, new mini palettes, lashes and a flip phone mirror compact. It's giving pink Razr.
Staying true to NYX's longstanding affordability, nothing in the Barbie x NYX collection is more than $15 — the only issue is finding it in stock. Try your luck at the NYX website and Target, Ulta, CVS, and more.
Credit: KitschVeteran Barbie stylists know that the road back to shiny fresh-out-of-the-box Barbie hair from brushed, ponytailed, generally-mangled Barbie hair is a long one. Barbie and Kitsch want to help you avoid that mess on your own head with a collection of satin pillowcases, bedazzled claw clips and satin scrunchies, and the iconic heatless hair curler. Your color options are hot pink or the Malibu print, which features a blue checkered pattern with pink palm trees and Barbie head silhouettes.
Credit: CrocsLife in Croslite (a proprietary foam-y resin, actually, not plastic) — it's fantastic! Crocs' Barbie collection features several pink (and one black with a pink interior) slip-on designs including the Classic Clog, the Cozzzy Sandal, and for those perpetually on their tiptoes, the heeled Siren Clog. You can also deck out an existing pair with Barbie Jibbitz: Choose from a cowboy hat, a convertible, a denim jacket, and more themed charms, depending on stock.
Credit: FUNBOYIt wouldn't be a proper Barbiecore summer without an over-the-top pool float. FUNBOY's collection of cutesy inflatables, towels, and other swim accessories brings the west coast vibes to your favorite spot to take a dip — even if that's all the way in the northeast. Grab a floral lounge chair or inner tube, giant pink flamingo, speed boat raft, or two-person retro golf cart.
1. Barbie x Impala Lightspeed Inline Skates
Credit: ImpalaNaturally sitting atop the Barbie merch pyramid is an exact replica of an actual item in the movie — and it's footwear, of course. The roller skating experts at Impala teamed up with Barbie to recreate the bright-yellow-with-pink-accents inline skates worn by Barbie and Ken in a beach scene, which originally set in the internet ablaze with a leaked picture from the set all the way back in June 2022.
Impala's roller skates (both quad and inline) are some of the best skates you can buy, regardless of Barbification. At $189.95, the Barbie Lightspeed ones are pretty in line with Impala's other prices. But if you see them in stock, snag them — they've sold out once before.
Honorable mention: Barbie x Xbox
Credit: MicrosoftYes, the Barbie-themed Xbox Series S console is real and yes, it can hurt you(r feelings when you find out that only one person will get one).
We left Microsoft's pink Xbox unranked due to the fact that it technically can't be purchased, only won. The sweepstakes is open now through July 30 at 11 p.m. ET and requires a Twitter account to enter. The single grand prize, which is worth $668.50 total, includes the custom Barbie-themed Series S console and the Dreamhouse-inspired stand, a custom Barbie edition Instinct controller with four interchangeable faceplates, a code for three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, two Barbie: The Movie dolls, plus a load of other smaller items from collabs with NYX and Hot Wheels.
Microsoft also released a video game easter egg that's a little easier to get your hands on, where the worlds of Barbie and Forza Horizon 5 collide in yet another link up that probably wasn't on your pop culture Bingo card. The download (available in the in-game Messenger Center) unlocks Barbie's pink 1956 Chevrolet Corvette EV or Ken's 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup to race in the game.
