Barbieland in Greta Gerwig’s 2023 film is filled with multiple Barbies. While Margot Robbie embodies the role of the Stereotypical Barbie, Kate McKinnon portrays the intriguing character of Weird Barbie. The concept behind the character was a doll that has been played too roughly with, resulting in her distinct appearance. Apart from that she also has knowledge about the world that sets her apart from the others.
Gerwig has shared that the character was inspired by the 1993 novel The Giver, which was later adapted into a film. During an interview with Rolling Stone, the Lady Bird director explained how the forgotten dystopian drama inspired the character of Weird Barbie in the $1.4 billion film.
Greta Gerwig Shared the Inspiration Behind Weird Barbie
Greta Gerwig has shared that she derived the concept of Weird Barbie from her childhood, as she would often get toys that were in a rough condition. While her appearance was inspired by Gerwig’s childhood experiences, she explained that the character is based on the 1993 novel by Lois Lawry, The Giver.
Set in a dystopian world, The Giver follows a society where every individual passes their memories to one person known as the Receiver. A Receiver is chosen every generation, who is trained by the previous Receiver, who takes the position of The Giver. Once The Giver dies, the Receiver takes his place, and they all live peacefully.
The novel has also been adapted into a movie starring Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, and Katie Holmes. During her interview with Rolling Stone, Gerwig explained that Weird Barbie would be the equivalent to the Giver or Receiver, as she “had the knowledge that everyone else didn’t have.” Gerwig also reflects on how she used colors to depict the comparison.
In The Giver, only the Receiver can see life in color, while everyone else only sees black and white. Barbie also features the same concept as Barbieland precisely uses pastel tones, especially pink and blue. However, from Weird Barbie’s house to her clothes, everything includes a combination of bright colors.
Weird Barbie’s House Was Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho
The production designers of Barbie, Sarah Greenwoo, and Katie Spencer, shared the inspiration behind Werid Barbie’s house in a conversation with Variety. Living as an outcast in Barbieland, the designers took inspiration to create stairs similar to the antagonist’s house in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho.
“One of my early references is that you go up the stairs, and there’s the ‘Psycho’ house, and we brought in other elements,” Greenwood told Variety. She shared that they deliberately “skewed” everything when it came to Weird Barbie’s house. They also shared that it was one of the last houses built on the set and added several elements to the house, including a cat and pool, which were not that prominent in the movie.
Barbie is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
