Current:Home > reviewsDid the 'Barbie' movie really cause a run on pink paint? Let's get the full picture -BeyondProfit Compass
Did the 'Barbie' movie really cause a run on pink paint? Let's get the full picture
View
Date:2025-04-16 06:14:30
As any Barbie fan knows, life in plastic is fantastic — and also very pink.
So much so, in fact, that the makers of the highly anticipated live-action movie say they wiped out a company's entire global supply of one shade of it.
"The world ran out of pink," production designer Sarah Greenwood told Architectural Digest early last week.
She said construction of the expansive, rosy-hued Barbieland — at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England — had caused an international run on the fluorescent shade of Rosco paint.
Rosco is known for supplying the entertainment industry with products like scenic paints, color filters and other equipment, including certain tints specifically formulated for the screen.
And it's now painting a fuller picture of Greenwood's comments.
Lauren Proud, Rosco's vice president of global marketing, told the Los Angeles Times on Friday that "they used as much paint as we had" — but that it was in short supply to begin with during the movie's production in 2022.
The company was still dealing with pandemic-related supply chain issues and recovering from the 2021 Texas freeze that damaged crucial raw materials, she said.
The freeze affected millions of gallons of stockpile, as well as the equipment needed to replenish it, Henry Cowen, national sales manager for Rosco's Live Entertainment division, said in a 2022 interview with the Guild of Scenic Artists.
Even so, Proud, the company vice president, said Rosco did its best to deliver.
"There was this shortage, and then we gave them everything we could — I don't know they can claim credit," Proud said, before acknowledging: "They did clean us out on paint."
And there's no question about where it all went.
The main movie trailer reveals a larger-than-life version of Barbie's iconic three-story Dreamhouse (complete with a walk-in closet and kidney-shaped pool with a swirly slide), her Corvette convertible and a utopian beach town of cul-de-sacs and storefronts — all bright pink.
Director Greta Gerwig aimed for "authentic artificiality" on all aspects of the set, telling Architectural Digest that "maintaining the 'kid-ness' was paramount."
"I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much," she said.
Viewers will soon be able to see for themselves, when the movie — which is marketed to Barbie lovers and haters alike — hits theaters on July 21.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Hello Kitty's Not a Cat, Goofy's Not a Dog. You'll Be Shocked By These Facts About Your Fave Characters
- Dancing With the Stars Alum Cheryl Burke Addresses Artem Chigvintsev’s Arrest
- The Daily Money: Gas prices ease
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- What to know about Johnny Gaudreau, Blue Jackets All-Star killed in biking accident
- An Alabama man is charged in a cold case involving a Georgia woman who was stabbed to death
- Sheriff’s office quickly dispels active shooter rumor at Disney World after fight, ‘popping’ sound
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Banana Republic’s Labor Day Sale Has Fall Staples Starting at $18—Save up to 90% off Jackets & Sweaters
Ranking
- Average rate on 30
- Jewish students at Columbia faced hostile environment during pro-Palestinian protests, report finds
- J.Crew's Labor Day Sale Is Too Good To Be True: 85% Off With $8 Tank Tops, $28 Dresses & More
- Judge rejects claims that generative AI tanked political conspiracy case against Fugees rapper Pras
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- Tennis star Caroline Garcia another example of athletes being endangered by gamblers
- Winners and losers of the Brandon Aiyuk contract extension
- Women’s college in Virginia bars transgender students based on founder’s will from 1900
Recommendation
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Nursing home oversight would be tightened under a bill passed in Massachusetts
Winners and losers of the Brandon Aiyuk contract extension
Home contract signings hit lowest since 2001 as house hunters losing hope
Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
Neighbor held in disappearance of couple from California nudist resort. Both believed to be dead
Alabama anti-DEI law shuts Black Student Union office, queer resource center at flagship university
1 officer dead, 2 officers injured in Dallas shooting; suspect dead, police say