Michael Cera's Allan is 'Barbie's sly secret weapon (2024)

FAQs

What was the point of Allan in Barbie? ›

Why was the Allan doll created? Allan was originally designed to be Ken's buddy, given that Barbie had Midge. Allan fit into all of Ken's clothes, which gave kids some of the same versatility with their male dolls that they had with their Barbies.

That turns out to be the whole point: Cera stars as Allan, a doll who was designed as a friend for Ken in the 1960s – a singular figure in a Barbie world where the men were all rippling, macho beach dudes. “The joke of my character is that he's the only Allan in the world,” says Cera.

Barbie casting directors Allison Jones and Lucy Bevan revealed that Jonathan Groff was the first person they approached to portray Allan in the film.

Michael Cera's the voice of Allan in this video!

When we look at the beginning of the film, Barbie is insecure of herself and who she is in the world. As the story continues, she begins to embrace her individuality and abilities. This sends an influential message to all audiences watching, encouraging them to be themselves, no matter what.

Within the gender paradigm of Barbieland, Allan is (symbolically) nonbinary. When we engage with fiction, it's easy (and fun) to treat characters as real people we get to know through the story, giving them traits and personalities and feelings outside of what is presented in the work of art.

While there are dozens of Kens and dozens of Barbies, Allan represents a doll that Mattel discontinued, so there's only one of him in Barbie Land. If that's to be believed, Michael Cera would be the only Allan, so how could five other Allans previously have escaped?

Barbie and Ken felt it was “time to spend some quality time apart” with Arons hinting that Ken's reluctance to put a ring on it may have played a part in their breakup. Still, the two swore the breakup was amicable and they would remain friends.

Schumer was originally cast as Barbie in 2016 but a year later she announced she was leaving the project, citing "scheduling conflicts." She explained the situation further during her chat with Cohen, admitting she actually left for a different reason. "I think we said it was scheduling conflicts," she revealed.

Apparently, Barbie will never get married. According to the wishes of Barbie creator Ruth Handler, part of Barbie's appeal to young children was that she defied patriarchal norms, and would never walk down the aisle toward Ken or have children.

Who was Barbie's rival? ›

Sindy and Barbie went head-to-head in August 1999, when both manufacturers created large advertising campaigns for the dolls and Sindy was relaunched. The manufacturers updated the dolls' images and revamped them with a "millennium look".

Fans had no way of knowing that Barbie had an even more adult side: She was closely related to a German novelty toy. Barbie had a sister—Bild-Lilli, a racy doll marketed to men.

He's considered the male partner for Midge, who is Barbie's pregnant BFF. The first Allan doll was released by Mattel in 1964. In the 1990s, you could even get a "Wedding Day Allan" with the the Wedding Party Midge Gift Set, according to a Barbie fandom site (and you can buy your own replica on eBay!).

In a sea of Ken and Barbies, Allan is content with his place in the world as long as everyone's happy and nice to each other. He doesn't necessarily want to be alone, but he's fine with being left alone. That makes him the doll for the anti-Barbie crowd. Allan represents the rest of us.

According to the Random House novels of the 1960s, Skipper is the second child of George and Margaret Roberts of Willows, Wisconsin (their first child being Barbie). In these novels, she attended Baker Elementary, while the Marvel Comics of the early 1990s had her at Central Junior High School.

Introduced as “Ken's buddy” in 1964, the doll's main selling point was that he could wear all of Ken's clothes. Allan's other job was being the groom to Midge — Barbie's less glamorous best friend — and a father to their three children.

The Barbie movie was not designed to belittle men or make them out to be the villain; the Barbie movie is about spreading awareness on how the patriarchy affects everyone, not just women.

Therefore, the purpose of the poem was to display the struggle women faced because of these societal issues in hopes of changing them. The poem shows the idealist view that is created by the appearance of the doll that causes people to question social norms and expectations that seem to exist in society.