Is Barbie an Autopian? Admittedly Barbie is not, in fact, a real person at all, but she has a pretty well-defined persona in toys, music, and film. A persona that includes cars … a lot of cars.
The controversial doll-turned-movie-character certainly appears to be a rather materialistic person, based on her Dream House and the vehicles she drives. While the partial-to-pink character seems to choose cars that are always flashy, they’re typically more mainstream than the rather obscure vehicles that many Autopians would gravitate towards, with a few exceptions.
Corvettes appear prominently over the years as Barbie’s daily driver; at a local thrift mall this week I saw several C4s to choose from:
Ken is stuck with an old C3, but it appears to be a final-year 1975 drop-top. Hopefully it’s L82 equipped, as Ken has a lot to compensate for (or nothing to compensate for, if you know what I mean).
In the recent Barbie The Movie, she drives a plastic-bodied first-gen Corvette that inexplicably has a back seat:
… But it’s not all Chevys in Barbie World. Based on the vintage offerings I discovered at the antique mall, it appears Barbie really started spending money on herself in the go-go eighties, splashing out cash for not one but two Ferraris, each a 328GTS. The Rossa Corsa example is sporting the smooth-faced wheels of the later ABS-equipped GTS, but Mattel chose to slather the wheels of both Ferraris in chrome, so … blech.
The money must have been flowing like wine for the now-middle-aged, botox-injecting, one-step-away-from-the-Betty-Ford-center Barbie [Ed note: Wow, OK] since she appears to have also purchased a MKI Golf /Rabbit Cabriolet for “Jazzie,” her “cool teenage cousin.”
Depictions of Barbie outside of Mattel’s iron – er, plastic – fist feature more obscure machines. The video for the catchy, annoying, slightly filthy 1997 song I’m A Barbie Girl by the Danish-Norwegian band Aqua features a pink car, but it’s driven by Ken so one would assume that it’s his name on the title. As horrific as this tune is, at least the video includes a somewhat Autopian machine in the form of a mid-70s Ford Taunus via Germany, twin to the Dangenham-built British Cortina. It’s a “convertible” in the video, but the chopped top was likely literally chopped – call it a Sawzall sacrifice for music-video immortality.
My guess is there is no structural stiffening, so it’s strictly a video prop and opening both doors at the same time is not recommended. I say this because Ford never made a drop-top Taunus or Cortina, beyond some coachbuilt examples like this one that was for sale some time back; you’ll note the add-on “roll bar” helping hold the thing together:
Barbie seems pleased enough with Bald Ken’s ride in the Aqua video, a stark contrast to the famous 1996 Nissan commercial that sees Ken get his injection-molded heart shattered. Poor Ken is left behind as Barbie hops into a Z32 300ZX Turbo procured from a toy stash by square-jawed action figure (Ken is a mere fashion doll) who undoubtedly stole Barbie’s affection with his manly cleft chin and the erotic possibilities of his far greater articulation. Jointed elbows and knees? What can’t he do?
I don’t know what the Ken character in this commercial was driving at the time, but it’s unlikely that it was as dope as arguably the second-greatest Nissan product ever made next to the 240Z. Yes, I know the GT-R will mop the floor with a Z32, but the styling of the newer car looks to me like the box and packaging material that the 1990 300ZX arrived in. I’m partial since we had a Z32 for fifteen years and 150,000 miles, and I never tired of the shape. As opposed to Barbie, who had tired of Ken’s shape after some 35 years, apparently. (Ken was introduced in 1961.)
If I were Barbie (now there’s a strange thought), what would I drive? The answer was for sale not too long ago, by the owner of 43 years. A woman named Lorrie Stern bought the car new in Upper Nyack, New York and had it painted light pink soon after acquiring it. She then proceeded to put 114,000 miles on it over the next four decades. So, what was this long-serving car? Surely a reliable mile-eater, perhaps a blush-colored Cadillac Eldorado? A Lincoln Mark IV wearing a shade of rose?
Not even close: Mrs. Stern chose a Lamborghini Espada with a 5-speed. The listing photos show jarring black lap belts in the rear seat, but Mrs. Stern claimed to need those to hold the grandkid’s child seats. I’ll allow it.
Some people question whether Barbie should be a role model for young girls today. I don’t know how to answer that, but I sure as shit know that Lorrie Stern is an Autopian role model to beat all role models. Barbie is cool, but she will never be that cool.
My neighbour had the purple C4 corvette, and because she was 2 years older than me, there was a point when she no longer cared for it, so me and her brother played the shit out of that C4 for another 2-3 years. No dolls, because we were being brought according to the good old principles of 90s mysoginy, so we knew quite well dolls=bad. Took me a while to unlearn that shit. Anyway, the C4 was awsome. It was gigantic compared to our model cars and held up quite well over the years – no scratches or broken parts. It was just such a cool toy.
I wish my daughter had any interst in Barbie cars, but that ship may have sailed. She has some pretty cool Barbies but just arrived at that age when she’s starting to lose interest for toys.
My sister had Barbie’s translucent sparkly pink Jaguar XJS convertible in the mid ‘90s. I used to put our hamster in the driver’s seat and drive him around the house.
Would 100% daily drive that pink Espada!
Wasn’t there a Jeep Wrangler at some point?
There was (still is?) a very popular Power Wheels car. No idea if there is a doll sized version, Barbie isn’t my thing.
My sister had the silver C4. I would pile Barbie and Ken in that and launch them off of a cardboard ramp into various Nylint steel trucks I had at that age. This landed me in trouble across the board. First with my sister because of course. Then with my parents who really didn’t like me banging up the nice trucks I had gotten as presents. “What are you doing? Those could be valuable some day.”
Since I eventually ended up recreating vehicle accidents as a career, I’d say I knew exactly what I was doing.
I heard children on the street while I was driving my 205 cabriolet two weeks ago “hey, look he’s driving Barbie’s car !”.
She had a VW New Beetle in the early 2000s too I believe.
We had the red Ferrari in our Barbie world.
My 12″ GI Joes rolled in a Barbie 964 Cabriolet in Grand-Prix White and Magenta Interior.
Love it
I enjoyed the movie, but the 4 seat corvette bothered me, and the fact that the bad guys were in gas guzzling SUVs while the heros were in Blazer Evs.
also, one of those movies where it’s painfully obvious who paid for product placement
Keep commercialism out of our famous-toy-based cinema!
I want to say my sister’s Barbie was rolling in a yellow C3 Vette convertible. I think it was called the “Classy Corvette” and was made in the late ’70’s.
We hardcore toy collectors can find nearly everything. My toy collection has the following:
*Yellow Malibu Barbie Beach buggy (and it’s blue Big Jim counterpart) from the 1970s. You’d be surprised how dangerous the Barbie nuts can get if you refuse to give it to them. Sometimes you have to fight.
*Bronze Jammin’ In Jamaica Beach Buggy from 2000.
*Pink C4 Corvette from U.S. Toy Company.
And from Hot wheels:
*Pink Barbie Dream Camper.
*Barbie Extra Roadster.
*Barbie VW Kombi Shortie Van
*Barbie Monster Vette, HW’s Treasure Hunt model for the 2021 Monster Truck Series. A fun model to have except when you have to deal with the Barbie crazies and Hot Wheels scalpers. Especially at the cash register.
Where is Barbie’s Austin Healey?
https://hagerty-media-prod.imgix.net/2023/07/Barbie-Doll-1962-Austin-Healey-Car-e1689004023247.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=749&ixlib=php-3.3.0&w=1024
I admire Mrs Stern’s attitude, because racking up 114k in a Lamborghini over 4 decades requires determination and the sort of resources most people would put into real estate. Not a woman to be trifled with, I imagine—and definitely a cool grandma.
NGL I probably would have left that thrift store with all that Barbie stuff. Especially the cars.
Also Barbie’s white Ferrari is clearly on fucking TRXs. Goddamnit Michelin she’s not made of money!
Have you seen the movie box office numbers?
Barbie is rolling in more than plastic cars.
But how would you fend against the Barbie fanatics? I’ve dealt with them too many times to count. Especially with the 2021 Hot Wheels Barbie Monster Vette Treasure Hunt. That was a fight.
You not seen me trampling on kids to get to a fresh box of Hot Wheels. They’re small and feeble and easily defeated.
So you’re the one who started that riot in the Dollar General storeroom with the other Hot Wheels hoodlums! Too bad you all were sent to jail and banned from the store for life.
(BTW, I wound up getting first pick from the box after the crowd settled down. I get better picks that way.)
I wanted to pick up a few of those too but with the $399.99 needed for the blue ‘Vette alone I figured out how many 1:43 scale American Excellence diecasts I could get for the money.
Oh to hell with that idea then. I nearly bought a NASCAR Barbie from a motorsport memorabilia shop in Maranello (funnily enough) but at €300 she was staying on the shelf.
Barbie needs something from the same year she’s from.
Pink 1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille convertible.
too big to fit in a toy box
GI Joe had a freaking aircraft carrier. Barbie can have a big ol’ boat, too.
A real American Hero. Yo Joe!
And knowing is half the battle!
Not a coincidence that the two most notable plastic inventions of the 1950s were the original credit card (Bank Americard, 1958) and the original material girl, Barbie (1959). Wouldn’t surprise me at all if they didn’t come from the same family tr…er, oil well.
I had a pink C4 for my childhood Barbie car. As an adult, I got an ’82 Collector’s Edition, which is just fantastically louche and about the exact opposite of a Barbie car
ah, the car they took 14 years to add a hatchback to, yes?
Even now, it appears her options are a Jeep Wrangler or a generic roadster.
Missed opportunity for the Barbie Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet.
My mom’s Barbie (a 1963 model) had an Austin-Healey 3000 Mk. II. Even then, it was pink.
I bet back then they just copied the big Healey and didn’t even pay a licensing fee, and nobody cared.
Undoubtedly true. I’ve seen photos of the Barbie Healey in its original box, which just refers to it as “Barbie’s own sports car.” I don’t think even Hot Wheels or Matchbox et. al. were typically licensed until the ’80s—it just wasn’t really a thing.
At a minimum, Hot Wheels and Matchbox were very much making miniaturized versions of real cars from the beginning – one of the more notorious examples is that the ’68 Corvette was launched in Hot Wheels form before the real thing (supposedly by an ex-GM designer who defected to Mattel with blueprints in his cane).
Wait, what? No mention of the Barbie Star Traveller GMC Motorhome? Barbie had her own EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle.
Damn, one for sale in box for nearly $400! out of box is like $200
Oh man, my sisters had one of these growing up in the 80s/90s. The thing was like 4 feet long and I remember it was the ugliest yellow/tan color. This must have been the Barbie equivalent of the USS Flagg for GI Joe kids.
I was pleasantly surprised when I was looking for my Boxster on Facebook Marketplace and found a Barbie Boxster in Guards Red complete with battery-operated (plastic facsimile of) power soft top. If Barbie had one, it must be quite the dream car, as Barbara has a history of good taste in automobiles.
Well cripes. Now I need Barbie’s Guards Red Porsche Boxster.
I just looked that up. Oddly no crest logo anywhere on the car- maybe they needed to pay extra for that?
It appears not to in the box art that pops up as the most prolific image, but closer inspection shows that it’s the poor picture quality turning it tiny and fuzzy. Closer pictures of the toy out of box do show the crest.
Edit: It is missing from many for-sale postings, but I found at least one with the crest present, which would indicate it was held on with some sort of adhesive from the factory. Honestly, it’s just as funny to me that Porsche required them to mold it separately, likely for fidelity and level of detail or some such “optimal brand representation” reason.
Great editor’s note. No notes.