Barbie Theory: Will Ferrell's Mattel CEO Is Actually [SPOILER?]
The Mattel CEO (Will Ferrell) in Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" is secretly an Allan. At least, that's the theory. According to u/driku12, who shared their idea on the subreddit r/FanTheories, the Mattel CEO is an Allan who ran away from Barbieland years ago.
The Redditor begins their thesis with a simple statement from Allan (Michael Cera), who mentions that all the other Allans left Barbieland because they didn't feel appreciated by the Barbies or the Kens. u/driku12 then goes on to say that the Mattel CEO possesses a suspiciously accurate level of information regarding Barbieland, the kind of information that could only come from firsthand knowledge, and that, "He genuinely cares for his work and is, deep down, a sensitive man who feels just as constrained by the real world patriarchy as Allan does in Barbieland, but he plays along because he feels he has no other option."
The theory's strongest evidence is a running gag, one to which both the Mattel CEO and Allan contribute — the "going over it is faster" gag, as u/driku12 names it. They note that both the Mattel CEO and Allan attempt to traverse a space more quickly by choosing, and subsequently failing, to climb over an obstacle. When Barbie (Margot Robbie) flees the Mattel building, the Mattel CEO tries to climb over a cubicle while loudly proclaiming that "going over it is faster!" Later, when Allan assists Barbie with the reverse brainwashing process, he attempts to climb over a fence. "The only time jokes tend to repeat in this movie [is] when it is showing the logic of Barbieland and how similar all the dolls are," explains the Redditor. "I would argue ... this must be an 'Allan' trait."
Do the people agree that Will Ferrell is an Allan?
The theory received mostly positive responses, and other Redditors latched onto the idea with surprising vigor. u/generalzee commented that one of the Mattel CEO's lines ("I didn't get into this job for money! I am interested in little girls' dreams in the least creepy way possible!") makes a lot more sense when contextualized with the motivations of a previously ignored doll.
u/Kovarian also added, "[The Mattel CEO] calls the one guy 'executive number 2.' Almost as if his formative years didn't involve specific names, but rather general categories of people." u/aureliamix even proposed that the Mattel CEO might've been the Allan that married Midge (Emerald Fennell) and that a previous relationship between the pair would explain his abrupt terror upon meeting her again.
Conversely, u/GunnyMoJo stated, "I'm not sure I agree. I feel like Allan is supposed to represent men who don't align with or are otherwise hurt and oppressed by the patriarchy. I don't think Will Ferrell's character really fits into that." u/greenshirtman, the only other Redditor to publicly deny the theory's merits, started off strong by claiming that the Mattel CEO is unequivocally human ... but they petered off into a joke about Ferrell's time as the star of "Elf." So, there's that. Maybe we'll find out in the possible "Barbie" sequel, which even Greta Gerwig herself won't rule out.