Pink paint in scarce supply globally after Barbie movie

Warner Bros.’ upcoming Barbie movie apparently used so much pink that it helped cause a global shortage.

Speaking to Architectural Digest, Sarah Greenwood, Barbie production designer, said “The world ran out of pink” due to the film’s heavy use of the colour. “I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much,” she said of the film, which features almost entirely pink costumes, sets and props. (At least, that’s the case for the Barbieland scenes; the movie also takes place in the decidedly drab real world.)

Of course, Greenwood is being a bit hyperbolic, as the movie wasn’t the sole cause of the pink shortage. For example, a spokesperson for the paint company Rosco told CNN that there were already “global supply chain issues,” and Barbie simply exacerbated them.

Still, it’s amusing to think of a single movie contributing so much to a shortage. In general, Barbie has been getting people’s attention due to the humourous and colourful approach by writer-director Greta Gerwig (2019’s Little Women). People have even been making their own fun “Barbie” and “Ken” posters inspired by the film’s viral marketing campaign.

The film also has a massive and buzzworthy cast consisting of Margot Robbie as the main Barbie and a ton of Kens, including London, Ontario’s Ryan Gosling, Mississauga, Ontario’s Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir. Brampton, Ontario’s Michael Cera also appears as a character named Allan.

Barbie is set to hit theatres on July 21st, 2023 alongside Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, offering the greatest double-feature option in history.

Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Source: CNN