The Bratz Conspiracy Theory Hidden In The ‘Barbie’ Movie

There’s a conspiracy theory going around involving Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and it’s unlocked a nostalgic chunk of beef from our childhood.  

Obvi, the Barbie movie has been a massive smash, but some TikTokers have pointed out what appears to be a rather cheeky reference to Barbie’s biggest competitor (and arch nemesis): Bratz dolls. 

Image Source: Mattel / LuckyChap Productions

Bratz dolls were created by an ex-Mattel employee Cater Bryant for MGA Entertainment, and featured almond eyes, dramatic makeup and a ‘trendier’ style. The main four dolls were called Sasha, Jade, Yasmin and Chloe, and they all represented different ethnicities – making them the more progressive kid on the doll block at the time. 

In Barbie, Margot Robbie turns up at a school, and comes across four sceptical tweens who don’t like Barbie dolls. At all. The internet is now convinced that these four girlies are representing the Bratz dolls – especially as Gloria’s daughter is called Sasha. Sure, her three friends aren’t named in the credits, but this seems like too big of a coincidence to overlook. 

Right?!

Image Source: @its_ivanmars TikTok

Ivan Mars floated the theory on TikTok, saying he made the connection on his third time in the cinema. “The four girls at the high school that don’t like Barbie represent the original four Bratz dolls?? They look similar… so it’s a reference to Barbie’s historic enemies??” he asked. 

Other TikTokers agreed, with one pointing out that Sasha’s nickname also has ties to the Bratz dolls. “I thought I was going crazy!!! Sasha gets in the car and the mum says ‘Hey bunny boo boo’, which was Sasha’s nickname in Bratz!!!” they wrote.

“I saw someone say that this is because Sasha’s mum ended up leaving Mattel and creating Bratz,” another added. 

“Bratz better come out with a movie ASAP, I need a clap back. I’m here for the drama,” a third commented.

@its_ivanmars Did you notice this?? 😱😱😱 #barbie #margotrobbie #fyp #foryou #screammovie #conspiracy ♬ Browser History OST – Jai P.

Could the Barbie scene be a reference to Mattel’s My Scene dolls? 

Quite a few TikTokers have argued that the four girls could be a throwback to Mattel’s My Scene dolls, which were released in 2002 to compete directly with Bratz. They had bigger heads, dramatic makeup and started out with three dolls: Barbie, Chelsea and Madison. 

After a lengthy legal battle between Mattel and MGA Entertainment in the ‘00s, Mattel removed the My Scene dolls from their lineup in 2011. 

Image Source: Mattel and MGA Entertainment

“That’s not the Bratz dolls though,” one person commented. “They represent the My Scene dolls which was released by Mattel to rival Bratz.”

“It’s not the Bratz, it’s the My Scene dolls! They were discontinued by Barbie,” another agreed.

“I had a My Scene Barbie and they were awesome! But Bratz were better,” a third wrote. 

Sasha’s name, her nickname, and the group of four high school students looking like the Bratz dolls feel too pointed to be just a ‘coincidence’. It’s unlikely Mattel wanted to shine a spotlight on the discontinued My Scene dolls, so we’re pretty convinced it was a subtle reference to Bratz, but we’re not mad about it. 

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Image credits: Warner Bros, Barbie, TikTok/@its_ivanmars, Reddit/dolls