• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Margot Robbie's Barbie movie caused an international shortage of pink paint

Home> Film & TV

Published 17:12 2 Jun 2023 GMT+1

Margot Robbie's Barbie movie caused an international shortage of pink paint

The Barbie movie is pretty in pink - but it came with a cost

Ben Thompson

Ben Thompson

A lot of people are excited to see Margot Robbie star in the title role of the upcoming Barbie movie.

The Australian actor will be front and centre as the iconic doll, but her very pink house will likely be drawing just as many eyeballs.

Barbie's Dreamhouse is everything you'd imagine it to be - pink, pink... and more pink.

Advert

In fact, Barbie's crib was so heavy on the colour that it caused an international shortage of pink paint.

When the set for Barbie Land was constructed at Warner Bros. Studio Leavesden, Rosco paint ran seriously low on the particular shade of pink that adorns Barbie's walls.

So much so, that production designer Sarah Greenwood said: "The world ran out of pink."

Advert

Fortunately, they managed to pull through and keep Barbie's world looking pretty in pink, and nobody was left seeing red.

Okay, enough colourful word play.

Talking about the construction of Barbie Land to Architectural Digest, director Greta Gerwig said: "There are no walls and no doors.

"Dreamhouses assume that you never have anything you wish was private - there is no place to hide.

Advert

Barbie's house in Greta Gerwig's upcoming movie is pink from top to bottom.
Warner Bros.

To bring the world of the Mattel toy to life, set designers took inspiration from Palm Springs mid-century modernism.

Greenwood and her colleague Katie Spencer, who had previously worked on Pride & Prejudice, had never owned a Barbie house before so they bought one off Amazon for inspiration.

Spencer recalled: "The scale was quite strange," whilst Gerwig noted: "The ceiling is actually quite close to one’s head, and it only takes a few paces to cross the room.

Advert

"It has the odd effect of making the actors seem big in the space but small overall."

Barbie's house also comes with a slide that coils from the third floor down to a pool.

Explaining the design, Gerwig said: "I wanted to capture what was so ridiculously fun about the Dreamhouses.

"Why walk down stairs when you can slide into your pool? Why trudge up stairs when you take an elevator that matches your dress?"

Advert

Barbie's house caused an international paint shortage.
Warner Bros.

In Barbie's bedroom, a clamshell headboard is covered in velvet with a sequined duvet, whilst her wardrobe contains coordinated outfits.

It's a far cry from the original Dreamhouse released in 1962, which was a cardboard fold-out.

Speaking of Barbie's set up, Greenwood said: "It’s very definitely a house for a single woman," whilst Spencer noted: "She is the ultimate feminist icon."

Advert

Let's just hope that any sequels don't cause any further paint shortages.

Barbie is out in cinemas on July 21.

Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Topics: Barbie, Film and TV, Margot Robbie

Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

20 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
3 days ago
  • Netflix
    20 hours ago

    People left ‘crying’ as Netflix drops trailer for Stranger Things season 5

    Netflix has offered a new insight to the fifth and final series of the sci-fi show

    Film & TV
  • Epic Pictures
    a day ago

    Everything we know about actor suing over nude scene which caused people to vomit in cinemas

    Catherine Corcoran has filed to sue Terrifier's producer and director, alleging unpaid profits and sexual harassment amongst other claims

    Film & TV
  • Tubi
    2 days ago

    Actor in movie franchise that caused people to vomit in cinemas sues over nude scene

    Catherine Corcoran alleges breach of contract, as well as distributing sexually explicit materials without consent

    Film & TV
  • Netflix
    3 days ago

    91% Stephen King Netflix movie knocks viewers sick with ‘unfilmable’ scene

    Viewers had 'never been so affected' by a film before

    Film & TV
  • Barbie movie praised for giving Margot Robbie's character cellulite
  • Actor in movie franchise that caused people to vomit in cinemas sues over nude scene
  • Fans rejoice at Will Smith and Margot Robbie’s ‘electric chemistry’ in classic film set to leave Netflix
  • Margot Robbie secured role in Wolf of Wall Street with one bold move on Leonardo DiCaprio