Can Barbie be the new Iron Man in a Mattel universe?

It whitethorn dependable similar an improbable comparison, but the brag of artifact institution Mattel would similar Barbie to beryllium the adjacent Iron Man.

That's due to the fact that Ynon Kreiz aspires to make a "Mattel universe", helium tells the BBC - emulating the occurrence of the Marvel universe, which has spawned dozens of deed films for Disney from a formed of comic-book characters similar Thor, Captain America and Guardians of the Galaxy.

This is the strategy down the Barbie movie, which comes retired connected 21 July. Kreiz began moving connected it erstwhile helium became CEO of Mattel successful 2018 and helium remains enforcement producer.

Barbie and Ken are played by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, with Greta Gerwig directing.

Kreiz acknowledges determination is immoderate hazard successful giving Barbie the Hollywood treatment, moving with directors and writers who person their ain originative ideas.

There is "humour and self-deprecation" successful the film, helium says (not slightest connected his part, arsenic helium is played by Will Ferrell, a controlling and somewhat stuffy CEO).

It's wide adjacent from the trailer that Barbie is the butt of jokes.

If you're being generous, she is portrayed arsenic naïve and innocent. If you aren't, she's shallow and superficial, obsessed with quality and incapable to comprehend the meaning of sex, decease - oregon beingness without precocious heels.

Barbie's "Dreamland" is simply a pinkish utopia, divorced from reality.

"This movie has been 64 years successful the making (Barbie launched successful 1959)," says Kreiz, "but it represents however the civilization sees Barbie today."

Barbie remains Mattel's biggest-selling brand, making the institution much than £1bn ($1.5bn) annually. Its different brands see Hot Wheels, Masters of the Universe, Monster High, Bob the Builder and Thomas the Tank Engine.

Kreiz argues Mattel's different brands besides person the imaginable to beryllium turned into palmy spin-offs, similar video games.

"The devil works hard but Barbie's selling squad is moving harder," according to selling adept Mike Buonaiuto, writer of Founder Therapy, who admires the inventive advertizing the squad down the movie has been up to, including the Airbnb listing of a Barbie Dreamhouse.

"But let's beryllium honest," Buonaiuto points out, "the accidental for the Mattel beingness is vastly antithetic to Marvel's, and whilst Barbie is being powered by millennial nostalgia collaborations, effort and bash the aforesaid for Thomas the Tank Engine oregon Hot Wheels and you astir apt won't get the aforesaid result.

"The extent of world-building Mattel tin propulsion from isn't contention for Marvel's."

But the caller illness of Toys R Us shows wherefore toymakers similar Mattel request to diversify beyond the merchantability of carnal products, adds Buonaiuto.

Barbie was archetypal introduced successful America successful 1959, developed by Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel.

Before Barbie, dolls typically took the signifier of babies, truthful children could play astatine being a nurturing parent. However, Barbies encouraged children to play astatine being adolescents, imagining their aboriginal selves done the dolls.

As the archetypal TV adverts that ran during Mickey Mouse Club told children: "Someday I'm going to beryllium precisely similar you."

This proved alluring and bully business. More than a cardinal Barbie dolls had been sold by the aboriginal 1990s.

But determination person besides been questions astir what precisely Barbie dolls thatch children, particularly astir assemblage image.

The archetypal Barbie plan was highly skinny and the messaging reinforced unhealthy ideas. One infamous slumber enactment acceptable created successful the mid-1960s featured bath scales fixed astatine 110 pounds (50kg) and a dieting publication that advised: "Don't eat".

Another talking Barbie created successful the aboriginal 1990s had the doll saying, "Math people is tough." Mattel aboriginal apologised.

These issues continued to impact people's cognition of the marque and arguably laic down a dip successful popularity astir a decennary ago.

Mattel has learned lessons and is present keeping up with the times, says Kreiz.

"Barbie is simply a emblem bearer for diverseness and inclusivity," helium says, "with much than 170 antithetic Barbie types successful presumption of assemblage signifier and tegument colour, and Barbie has much than 200 careers, truthful girls tin research their imaginable successful antithetic ways."

Barbie has precocious brought retired dolls with disabilities, prosthetic limbs, and 1 with Down's Syndrome.

The "classic, accepted Barbie" is little than fractional of the concern now, says Kreiz.

That caller committedness to diverseness is reflected successful the formed of the film, portion the classical Barbie, who is the cardinal character, is mildly mocked.

Kreiz besides points retired that Mattel is restructuring the institution to determination with the times.

Now it simply divides its products into categories (like dolls, vehicles and pre-school), alternatively than having teams devoted to abstracted boys' and girls' products. This is contempt the information that galore shops inactive disagreement toys by gender, with pinkish aisles for girls who privation to beryllium princesses, and bluish ones for boys who similar dinosaurs and operation sets.

The Barbie movie is portion of Kreiz's masterplan to presumption Mattel arsenic a "talent magnet", moving with radical similar movie directors to effort antithetic things with its well-known creations.

"People who bargain our products aren't conscionable consumers," says Kreiz. "They are fans, who person an affectional narration to the products. Kids touch, hug and spell to furniture with our toys.

"We judge successful the semipermanent accidental for Barbie. But we request to germinate her, support her applicable and successful the centre of taste conversation."