Earlier this week, Warner Bros. released the first full trailer for Barbie, the upcoming live-action comedy movie based on the popular fashion dolls by Mattel. The trailer was absolutely bonkers, taking us to the colorful and vibrant Barbie Land where we got to see many of our favorite actors portraying the iconic dolls.
The film is loaded with star-studded talent and the trailer was filled with tons of fun references for anyone who grew up playing with Barbies. But there was one particular character that was shown very briefly that has the internet abuzz with excitement. That would be Michael Cera's character, Allan. Who is Allan, exactly?
Although Allan was included in the recent batch of promotional posters, he went largely ignored, which is actually quite fitting for him given the doll's history.
The first Allan doll was introduced in 1964. He was marketed as both "KEN'S® BUDDY™" and the boyfriend of Midge (Barbie's best friend). Midge, by the way, is also featured in the Barbie movie and is played by Emerald Fennell.
Not only did Allan sport the same bright-striped shirt we see Cera wearing in the trailer, but the doll was also able to wear all of the same clothes as Ken, similar to how Midge could wear Barbie's clothing. The doll's release also meant that Barbie and Ken could now go on double dates with Midge and Allan.
It was all very clever marketing, but unfortunately, Allan didn't quite catch on in popularity. And neither did Midge for that matter. Both dolls were discontinued from the Mattel line after 1965. In the years since, Mattel has released various versions of both Allan and Midge but regardless of how many iterations there have been, as the Barbie movie poster states: "There's only one Allan."
We only get a very brief glimpse of Allan in the trailer as he stares, wide-eyed, as two Ken dolls threaten a "beach off." It's unclear how prominent a role Allan will play in the film but as Ken's Buddy, I do hope we get to see more of him. Check out the latest Barbie trailer below and look out for Allan at around the 1:31 mark.
From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig (“Little Women,” “Lady Bird”) comes “Barbie,” starring Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie (“Bombshell,” “I, Tonya”) and Ryan Gosling (“La La Land,” “Half Nelson”) as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera (“End of Watch,” the “How to Train Your Dragon” films), Kate McKinnon (“Bombshell,” “Yesterday”), Michael Cera (“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Juno”), Ariana Greenblatt (“Avengers: Infinity War,” “65”), Issa Rae (“The Photograph,” “Insecure”), Rhea Perlman (“I’ll See You in My Dreams,” “Matilda”), and Will Ferrell (the “Anchorman” films, “Talladega Nights”). The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne (“Little Women”), Emma Mackey (“Emily,” “Sex Education”), Hari Nef (“Assassination Nation,” “Transparent”), Alexandra Shipp (the “X-Men” films), Kingsley Ben-Adir (“One Night in Miami,” “Peaky Blinders”), Simu Liu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education”), Scott Evans (“Grace and Frankie”), Jamie Demetriou (“Cruella”), Connor Swindells (“Sex Education,” “Emma.”), Sharon Rooney (“Dumbo,” “Jerk”), Nicola Coughlan (“Bridgerton,” “Derry Girls”), Ritu Arya (“The Umbrella Academy”), Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”).
Barbie arrives in theaters this summer on July 21.