Current:Home > InvestDid the 'Barbie' movie really cause a run on pink paint? Let's get the full picture -Legacy Build Solutions
Did the 'Barbie' movie really cause a run on pink paint? Let's get the full picture
View
Date:2025-04-14 20:17:31
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! (884)
Related
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- GOP Rep. Andy Ogles faces a Tennessee reelection test as the FBI probes his campaign finances
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, As It Stands
- Florida ballot measures would legalize marijuana and protect abortion rights
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs thanks his children for their support as they sing 'Happy Birthday'
- Texas border districts are again in the thick of the fight for House control
- Democrat Ruben Gallego faces Republican Kari Lake in US Senate race in Arizona
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Massachusetts voters weigh ballot issues on union rights, wages and psychedelics
Ranking
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Which is the biggest dinner-table conversation killer: the election, or money?
- Arizona voters to decide on expanding abortion access months after facing a potential near-total ban
- Democratic Rep. Angie Craig seeks a 4th term in Minnesota’s tightest congressional race
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Which is the biggest dinner-table conversation killer: the election, or money?
- Democrat Matt Meyer and Republican Michael Ramone square off in Delaware’s gubernatorial contest
- New Hampshire will decide incumbent’s fate in 1 US House district and fill an open seat in the other
Recommendation
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
Four likely tornadoes in Oklahoma and Arkansas with no deaths or injuries reported
Landmark Washington climate law faces possible repeal by voters
Gerrit Cole, Yankees call each others' bluffs in opt-out saga: 'Grass isn’t always greener'
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
First Family Secret Service Code Names Revealed for the Trumps, Bidens, Obamas and More
Pennsylvania is home to 5 heavily contested races for the US House
Kirk Herbstreit calls dog's cancer battle 'one of the hardest things I've gone through'