TV & Movies
A Barbie Fan Theory Claims There Are Way More Kens In The “Real World”
“This makes a lot of sense.”
Warning: Barbie spoilers ahead. Following the release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, moviegoers have been sharing some of their favorite moments from the film, including Ryan Gosling’s now-viral rendition of “I’m Just Ken,” and a subtle Bratz doll Easter egg. Meanwhile, fans have also been busy dissecting the Barbie plot and characters online, and one fan theory claims that, in the “real world,” there might be more Kens than meet the eye.
Over on Reddit, one fan suggested that the Mattel CEO (played by Will Ferrell) and the company’s board members are all, in fact, Kens whose Barbies had previously made it to the real world. “This is why they weren't worried about Ken at all in the film,” the Reddit user explained. “They knew he'd turn up sooner or later and would be completely satisfied with the patriarchal world around him.”
Further outlining why this Barbie fan theory “makes sense,” the user also noted that the Mattel employees' behavior was “way too similar” to the Kens in Barbie Land, and pointed to a scene in which the Mattel boss quips, “It was really tiring to run the whole corporation” — shortly after the Kens in Barbie Land were discussing “how tiring” it can be to be in charge.
“This could mean there are a group of life-sized Barbies from Barbie Land who fell for the box trick and are stored somewhere in the Mattel HQ,” they added, suggesting that this theory could lead to a horror movie spin-off.
Although some Reddit users agreed this particular theory might have some credence, others interpreted the Mattel employees' Ken-like behavior differently. “I viewed them as men who were doing a job that women should probably be doing,” another fan wrote. “Surely women should be in charge of managing and producing a female doll?”
Although it’s never established whether or not the Mattel board members were indeed secret Kens, the real-life Mattel CEO, Ynon Kreiz, previously expressed interest in future Barbie sequels. So, who knows, maybe we’ll get that horror movie spin-off after all.
