Mattel & Aqua's Barbie Girl Song Lawsuit Explained

Some fans were surprised to see Aqua's Barbie Girl song incorporated into the Barbie movie, but the remix shows just how far Mattel has come.

Summary

• Despite legal battles in the past, Mattel has come a long way and is embracing Aqua's "Barbie Girl" in the upcoming 2023 Barbie movie soundtrack.
• "Barbie Girl" caused controversy for Mattel due to its lyrics, but the film's satirical and self-aware approach makes it the perfect fit for the song.
• The use of a remixed version of "Barbie Girl" in the movie shows that Mattel has made peace with the song and even embraces some of its raunchier lyrics.

While the incorporation of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” into 2023’s Barbie paints a picture of harmony between Mattel and Aqua, the ugly legal history between the two tells a different story. The most hotly anticipated song in the Barbie movie soundtrack was “Barbie Girl”, the 1997 Europop single from Danish-Norwegian band Aqua. The kitschy, earworm song has endured, for better or worse, over 26 years to become synonymous with the Barbie name. While a “Barbie Girl” remix is now confirmed to be on the Barbie movie soundtrack, the infamous legal battle between Barbie makers Mattel and Aqua led many to believe it wouldn’t come to pass.

“Barbie Girl” is a huge song, but its controversial lyrics made it a nightmare for Mattel. The brand positioned itself as vehemently against the song’s scandalous subject matter, prompting speculation that the song couldn’t possibly make it into the brand’s flagship film. However, Greta Gerwig’s movie, with its sharp sense of humor and critical self-awareness, makes it the perfect vehicle to bridge the gap between the satirical song and the self-serious position taken by Mattel in 1997. After a storied history, the Barbie movie, co-produced by the toy giant, demonstrates just how far Mattel has come.

Why Mattel Sued Aqua's Record Company Over "Barbie Girl"

"Barbie Girl" was a huge hit for Aqua upon release. The song reached number one in numerous countries and even hit the Billboard top 10 in the US. Mattel wasn’t happy about the massive cultural impact of the song, which uses the image of Barbie to satirize the objectification and sexualization of women with such lyrics as “I’m a blonde bimbo girl in a fantasy world” and “you can brush my hair, undress me everywhere.” The toy giant didn’t want their doll’s name associated with the sexual and bitingly cynical lyrics, so they opted to sue Aqua’s US record company, MCA records.

Mattel didn’t have a strong case for copyright infringement, since the "Barbie Girl" video doesn’t contain any actual Barbie dolls or images, but the company sued over the use of the trademarked word “Barbie” and the use of “Barbie pink,” a trademarked color. Furthermore, Mattel made the case that the use of “Barbie” could lead the public to assume that Mattel itself had produced the song (via Insider). However, Mattel saw their case dismissed, as the song was clearly intended as a parody, which is largely protected from copyright litigation on the grounds of free speech. Mattel appealed the decision twice, even petitioning the US Supreme Court, but to no avail.

2023's Barbie Movie Finally Puts The Aqua Lawsuit To Bed

After Mattel’s attempts to sue Aqua’s label came to nothing, the company was forced to make an uneasy peace with "Barbie Girl." The song would prove a persistent earworm, refusing to fade into obscurity like so many other one-hit wonders. In 2009, Mattel even bought the rights to the song, briefly using it as part of a marketing campaign, albeit with modified lyrics such as “You can be a star, no matter who you are” that toned down the satirical edge of the original song.

While the 2009 campaign demonstrated a (possibly reluctant) willingness to acknowledge the song’s massive appeal, Mattel’s real shift in attitude wouldn’t come until much later. The use of a remixed version of the song in 2023’s Barbie shows that Mattel has truly made peace with the song, incorporating it into their flagship film and even embracing some of the raunchier lyrics. The remixed song, titled “Barbie World” and boasting verses from Ice Spice and Nikki Minaj, even includes the unaltered line “you can brush my hair, undress me everywhere.”

Why Aqua's "Barbie Girl" Is Perfect For The 2023 Movie

Ever since the first rumblings of a Barbie movie became publicized, fans were demanding to know whether Aqua’s "Barbie Girl" would be in the film. Despite Mattel’s best efforts, the song is permanently associated with the brand. According to Barbie star Margot Robbie, the "Barbie Girl" song was always intended for Barbie: “I was like, ‘Greta, how are we going to incorporate this song? We can’t do a Barbie movie and not have a nod to Aqua’s Barbie Girl.'” However, It’s worth noting that “Barbie Girl” wouldn’t be an intuitive fit for just any Barbie project.

Gerwig’s film suits the song by approaching the Barbie brand with the same critical eye that Aqua did in 1997. The film is like the song: a sugary, postmodern work that engages with the harm that the Barbie brand has done in the past. While a remix is the right call, since the film is not primarily interested in the song’s main themes of materialism and sexuality, the act of acknowledging a song that points out Barbie’s shortcomings is vital in demonstrating the mature and balanced understanding that Gerwig's Barbie strives for.

Source: Insider