Mattel Launches 'Women In Film' Barbie Collection But Hollywood Isn't Happy

The toy company launched its annual 'Career of the Year' collection, which features Barbie dolls designed to represent women working in film, but Hollywood writers have some notes.

The 'Women in Film' collection includes four dolls with their professions as: studio executive, director, cinematographer, and movie star.

There is no doll representing the screenwriters which is a particularly sore subject for writers following their recent Writers Guild of America strike which saw writers in the industry pounding the pavement with the goal of reminding the industry of their importance in the filmmaking process.

Many known writers took to social media to vent their frustrations with the decision including Fleishman Is in Trouble series creator and book author Taffy Brodesser-Akner who said, "Filing Quarterly/WGA Dues Barbie would be hit among a certain crowd is what i’m saying.”

Eden Dranger, writer of The Unicorn and Beavis and Butt-Head, responded to Brodesser-Akner’s post with, “We went on strike and this is what we get?!”

While Carolina Munhóz (Invisible City) pointed out that the films created by the collection's dolls would have no lines, “Ok, so there are no lines in that movie?” Munhóz posted. “Where is the screenwriter Barbie? Signed by a screenwriter that was Barbie for Halloween.”

Christopher Derrick, who has written for The Equalizer and Star Trek: Picard didn't understand why studio-executive doll needed to be included over a screenwriter.

The creator of The Wire David Simon pointed out other important roles that were left out of the line-up, calling out Mattel saying, the "film taught them nothing".

The Barbies join a community of more than 250 Barbie professions released by Mattel. In 2023 the Barbie career collection focused on 'Women in Sports' featuring a general manager, coach, referee, and sports reporter.