We can’t wait for Barbie The Movie here at Junkyarn HQ, and have been mainlining Barbie and Barbie-adjacent content since the announcement. So grab your knitting or crochet, your beverage of choice, and let’s watch some KNITFLIX.
The documentary Tiny Shoulders (Hulu) tells two stories: one about how Barbie came to be and the second about the team who brought her into the 21st century. Tiny Shoulders is a well-made documentary that would appeal to many, even non-collectors and Barbie enthusiasts!
Netflix’s series The Toys That Made Us provides a kitschy, shorter format version of the information in Tiny Shoulders that would be fun to watch with the whole family! There are episodes on other nostalgic childhood toys like Furby, Star Wars action figures, and My Little Pony.
If you’re not into watching a show or film about Barbie herself, you can always watch one starring her proxy, Margot Robbie! My personal favorite from her recent filmography is Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey (2020). And no, you do not need to watch the universally panned Suicide Squad (2016) in order to enjoy this movie! Robbie as Harley Quinn is a chaotic, neon-dusted, grunge goddess, and I still want to make a version of her caution tape jacket one day. You can watch Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey on Max or Prime Video with a subscription.
As far as the mastermind behind Barbie The Movie goes, Greta Gerwig’s filmography is excellent all around. In keeping with the theme of girl power and awesomeness, my personal favorite of Greta’s movies is Lady Bird (2017). The folks at Letterboxd put out a video just the other day with Greta going through all the many cinematic influences on Barbie, so check that out below for even more inspirational viewing.
Please feel free to comment below with your own suggestions in the Barbie Cinematic Universe!
Happy Knitflixing, everyone!
*Disclaimer: I did not come up with the term “Knitflix”. I have an adorable candle from The Clever Clove (made by Wax & Wool) called Knitflix and thought it worked for this series. If you know who coined the phrase, please comment and let me know so I can give them proper attribution!