In an interview with Variety to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the song, lead singer Lene Nystrøm said that using the song in the movie may have been a little much and that it would be “cheese on cheese,” but it doesn’t seem like there’s much ill-will toward Mattel or the movie. Ultimately, not using the song seems like a decision that Mattel made rather than Aqua forbidding them to use it.
While it’s great that Mattel was able to finally embrace the song, it doesn’t necessarily undo years of bad blood between them and Aqua. They are referring to this song as upbeat and fun, and it’s really our belief that unlawful exploitation of another company’s property for one’s own commercial gain is neither upbeat or fun. Mattel was worried that the song would ruin the wholesome Barbie brand and one of their major complaints was that the music video “features the Ken doll dismembering the Barbie doll by pulling off her arm.” A spokesperson for the company also reportedly said “Even if we found the lyrics acceptable, we would be filing this suit because the song was published and distributed without our permission and certainly without our notification. Some of it has to do with the fact that Barbie’s parent company Mattel sued the Aqua group for trademark infringement because of the song in 1997. The reason that “Barbie Girl” won’t be in Barbie is more than just a licensing or rights issue though. However, this excitement was squashed in 2022 when it was definitively revealed that the song wouldn’t be included in the movie or on the soundtrack. With the song’s upbeat tune and catchy lyrics, it seemed like a no-brainer for it to be included in the movie’s soundtrack. When Greta Gerwig’s Barbiewas first announced, many fans expected Aqua’s popular song, “Barbie Girl,” to be featured.
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