Blame Barbie: How the world ran out of pink paint

Clearly, there is a lot of pink on the set of the eagerly anticipated Barbie movie. According to the production designer, there was even a global shortage.

Last week, Greta Gerwig and Sarah Greenwood, the movie's production designer, got down to talk about the making of Barbieland.

In the course of their talk, Greenwood informed Architectural Digest that the movie has caused a global shortage of pink paint. She said, "The pink ran out in the world."

The truth is a little more challenging, though.

Let’s take a look.

Also read: Barbie with Down syndrome launched: How the doll has become more inclusive since its debut

The pink paint shortage

Gerwig and the film's production designer Sarah Greenwood spoke to Architectural Digest about the creation of Barbieland, which is nearly all bright pink, from the lifesize replicas of the doll's renowned "Dreamhouse" to the roadways and lampposts.

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Greenwood, a six-time Oscar contender, stated in the interview that the movie was responsible for an international shortage of pink paint. "The world ran out of pink," she explained to the magazine.

Greta Gerwig, the film's director, believed that using pink paint was essential to capturing the spirit of Barbie's universe and preserving "the 'kid-ness'" of the movie's style. Image Courtesy: Warner Bros. Pictures/YouTube

Lauren Proud, vice-president of global marketing at Rosco, the paint firm utilised in the movie, provided additional background to the Los Angeles Times.

The movie "used as much paint as we had," she said, adding that the production of Barbie had coincided with larger global supply chain issues during COVID-19 as well as severe weather in Texas at the beginning of 2021, which had a negative impact on essential materials required to make the paint.

According to Proud, "There was this shortage, and then we gave them everything we could -- I don't know they can claim credit." Despite the challenges, the movie managed to finish filming with the paint that was on hand, but it undoubtedly used up Rosco's supply.

Also read: EXPLAINED: Why Amy Schumer rejected the role of Barbie

Maintaining the ‘kid-ness’

Greta Gerwig, the film's director, believed that using pink paint was essential to capturing the spirit of Barbie's universe and preserving "the 'kid-ness'" of the movie's style. The Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, paintings by Wayne Thiebaud, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and An American in Paris, she continued, served as design inspirations for Barbieland.

Gerwig stated, "I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much," adding that she didn't want to "forget what made me love Barbie when I was a little girl."

The movie's production designer, Sarah Greenwood, built sets with vivid furnishings, dollhouse-like dwellings, and even pink highways and light posts.

The fuchsia pink fantasy house has walk-in closets with displays of Barbie's clothing, a pink slide into a pool with floats, and a pink heart-shaped bed with fluffy pink cushions and a clamshell headboard in the bedroom.

The film

Although the premise of the movie is unknown, a recent trailer suggests that Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) will embark on an exciting voyage outside of Barbieland.

The Barbie movie receives a lot of hype due to its all-star cast, which includes Helen Mirren, Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, and more. The video intends to enthral viewers with its nostalgic appeal and innovative storytelling, regardless of how it will affect the paint supply.

The movie debuts on 21 July.

With inputs from agencies

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