Barbie (franchise)

Barbie is an American multimedia franchise revolving around the children's fashion doll of the same name created by for Matel, Inc. The titular character is a young American woman who is typically seen taking up a wide array of occupations and hobbies. Other characters in her universe include her on-again-off-again boyfriend Ken, and other relatives and pets.

The Barbie brand is among the most lucrative in the world, expanding beyond its toy line into film and television, among other types of media, including countless collaborations with other brands.

Apart from being referenced on a few occasions in-universe, the brand is also seen two especially notable collaborations with the Doctor Who brand.

Collaborations
Mattel partnered with the BBC in 2018 to release a special, limited edition collector's doll in the likeness of the Thirteenth Doctor. It was originally announced on 2 October of that year, six days before the broadcast of The Woman Who Fell to Earth, with preorders for the doll opening the day after said broadcast. On 12 July 2023, the official Doctor Who Twitter and Instagram accounts released a special photograph as part of a cross-promotion with Warner Bros. for the live-action movie, titled Come on TARDIS, let's go party, depicting a hot pink variant of the Doctor's TARDIS parked beside the Tower Bridge and the River Thames. Notably, then-current showrunner Russell T Davies clarified on his Instagram account that the image depicted an in-universe event.

Connections
The aforementioned live-action film most notably featured Ncuti Gatwa among its cast, playing an incarnation of Ken called "artist Ken". In addition, Rob Brydon and Tom Stourton played two other incarnations of Ken.

After Gatwa's casting as the Doctor was announced, his Barbie co-star,, shared his excitement by wearing a Doctor Who-themed t-shirt on the film's set, featuring fanart of Gatwa; the image was created by Matthew Purchase.

Marvel Comics published various Barbie publications from 1984 to 1996, including a magazine, and a line of comic books.

Other references
In 1996, Doctor Who Magazine issue 243 jokingly compared 's costume in 1996's Doctor Who to the 1995 Midnight Gala Barbie.