The Barbie movie is teaching us about discontinued dolls Allan and Midge

Barbie and Ken may not be the centre of a multi-billion dollar business in some bizarre alternate universe. It’s Midge and Allan who rule toy land as the It couple. Mattel, however, relegated this redheaded couple to the background of our universe. Midge was a safer version of Barbie, and Allan… well, he was marketed as being able to fit into Ken’s clothes. Midge, like Allan, have both been discontinued and have not been seen in years. They were gone. Get ready for the next BarbieIt seems like a movie.

Midge, Allan and Allan are back in the spotlight. Barbie’s new trailer dropped Tuesday alongside character posters of the star-studded cast. Barbie, Barbie, Barbie, and Barbie’s bestie Midge, and Allan — the BFF of countless Kens — are both ready to step back into the spotlight. Many people were curious about their characters posters when they disappeared. Midge and Allan are real people. Barbie aficionados are thankfully here to school us on Barbie’s discontinued friends.

Who is the Midge or Allan Barbie dolls and why are they so popular?

Mattel introduced Midge Hadley as Barbie’s best friend in 1963, allegedly as a way to dismiss criticisms that Barbie was too sexy, according to Barbie experts. They made her a little more “mature”-looking than Barbie. The only real difference was her head; she had bangs and a red bob with big blue eyes and a rounder face, whereas Barbie’s eyes looked more sultry, adorned with makeup. Midge and Ken spent most of their time together. Does Midge have a third wheel or are they a couple? We don’t know the answer.

Allan was introduced and designated as Midge’s boyfriend in 1964, wearing the bright-striped shirt that Michael Cera wears in the Barbie trailer. His big marketing message was that he could fit into Ken’s clothes, just like how Midge could wear Barbie’s clothes. Of course, Allan’s introduction also meant that Barbie and Ken could double-date with Midge and Allan.

Midge and Allan didn’t stay on sale for long; Mattel stopped producing them in their original versions after 1965. Midge returned in 1988, with a cool and beachy new look. She went on to have a pretty decent run throughout the ’90s: She got married; went camping, rollerblading, and surfing; and then got pregnant and had a baby. Allan followed a similar path, but he was able to have children. Much moreThere were fewer fatherhood models. Midge was certainly at her most bizarre during the family planning period.

Mattel Image

Mattel introduced a Midge with a pregnant belly in 2002. Her pregnant belly can be opened, and inside it, you’ll find a baby all curled up — effectively letting a child give Midge a Cesarean section. It’s Midge’s second kid, as evidenced from the back of the box. Walmart didn’t like this, despite Mattel’s claim that it could be a teaching tool for families. Critics thought it promoted teen pregnancy, so Walmart pulled Midge from the shelves until Mattel made a version where she’d already had the baby — and no longer appeared to be pregnant.

Midge dolls continued to be sold at other stores, along with an Allan doll carrying a stroller. Allan ended up in the dumps. Barbie movie. Midge vanished after giving birth and was rediscovered in 2012. Barbie: Life in the DreamhouseAn animated series with some dolls. And in that world, Midge’s kids don’t exist — and neither does Allan. Awkward!

The Midge Barbie is clearly the pregnant Midge, in a nod to the doll’s controversial past design. Allan’s dressed in his original 1964 outfit, while Midge is sporting a pregnant belly and her iconic purple flower dress. Of course, we don’t know much about Midge and Allan’s roles in the Barbie film, except that they’re played by Emerald Fennell (CrownMichael Cera (Arrested Development), respectively.