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Batman is everything, but he's just Bruce as Barbie comes into the picture with new franchise partnership
Batman and Barbie are teaming up again, but this time DC's Dark Knight is taking second billing
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One's got a Batmobile, the other has a pink corvette. One's got a mancave, the other has a dream house. One's got hit movies from Warner Bros., one has a hit movie from Warner Bros. It's destiny they should meet (again).
Of course, we're talking about Batman and Barbie.
Mattel and Warner Bros. Discovery, the owners of the two respective media franchises, are teasing a line of Barbie x Batman dolls to be announced on September 18. This is the culmination of an on-again, off-again relationship between Barbie and Batman that's lasted more than a decade, but when it comes down to imagining the two of them together on toy racks, I can't help but wonder if Barbie will outshine Batman. Barbie is Barbie... but could Batman just be Bruce?
Like many of Batman's partnerships (both romantic and platonic), this has been an inconsistent thing between the two. In 2013, Barbie and Ken cosplayed as Batgirl and Batman for a series of dolls released by Mattel. And then in 2016, Mattel released Barbie-fied versions of the DCEU Batman (Ben Affleck), as well as Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), and Superman (Henry Cavill). And if that's not enough, the cinematic Batman and Barbie share the same stylist. Famed costume designer Jacqueline Durran co-designed Robert Pattison's Batman get-up, and oversaw all of the costumes on 2023's Barbie.
Of course, there's more to the Batman franchise than just Batman (or Bruce Wayne). Mattel has plans to release dolls for Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy as part of this 85th birthday celebration for DC's Dark Knight.
We'll find out soon when the Barbie x Batman dolls are revealed (yes, Warner Bros. and Mattel have agreed Barbie's name goes ahead of Batman in this relationship) on September 18... and when they are in our hands.
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