The Barbie movie is teaching us about all her discontinued friends

In some twisted, alternate universe, Barbie and Ken aren’t the centerpiece of a billion-dollar franchise. It’s Midge and Allan who rule toyland as the It couple. Meanwhile, in our universe, Mattel relegated the red-haired couple to the background. Midge was a safer version of Barbie, and Allan… well, he was marketed because he could fit into Ken’s clothes. In fact, both Midge and Allan have been discontinued and neither has been seen for years. Where were they? Preparing for the new Barbie movie, it seems.

The eyes are then back on Midge and Allan BarbieThe new trailer coincided with character posters from the star-studded cast on Tuesday. Barbie, Barbie, Barbie and Barbie’s bestie Midge, and Allan – the BFF of countless Kens – are both ready to take the spotlight again. But when their character posters dropped, a lot of people asked: Who the hell are Midge and Allan? Fortunately, Barbie aficionados are here to educate us Barbie’s Ended Friends.

Who are the Midge and Allan Barbie dolls?

Mattel introduced Midge Hadley as Barbie’s best friend in 1963, reportedly as a way to dismiss criticism that Barbie was too sexy. according to Barbie experts. They made her look a little more “adult” than Barbie. The only real difference was her head; she had bangs and a red bob with big blue eyes and a rounder face, while Barbie’s eyes looked more sultry, adorned with makeup. Midge, Barbie and Ken spent all their time together. Is Midge a third wheel, or is the relationship a threesome? Who can tell?

Allan was introduced and referred to as Midge’s boyfriend in 1964, in the brightly striped shirt that Michael Cera wears in the Barbie trailer. That was his big marketing message he could fit into Ken’s clothes, just like Midge could wear Barbie’s clothes. Of course, Allan’s introduction also meant that Barbie and Ken could double date with Midge and Allan.

Midge and Allan didn’t last long for sale; Mattel stopped producing them in their original versions after 1965. Midge returned in 1988 with a new cool, beachy look. She went on to have a pretty decent run in the ’90s: She is married; went camping, skating and surfing; and then got pregnant and had a baby. Allan had a similar trajectory, although he had a lot of fewer models leading to fatherhood. The family planning era was definitely when things got weird for Midge.

In 2002, Mattel released a version of Midge who is pregnant. Her pregnant belly can be opened and inside you’ll find a baby all curled up – effectively allowing a child to give Midge a C-section. It is Midge’s second child, as shown on the back of the box. Walmart didn’t like this, despite Mattel’s claim that it could be a learning tool for families. Critics thought it promoted teenage pregnancy, so Walmart pulled Midge from its shelves until Mattel made a version where she’d already had the baby — and no longer appeared to be pregnant.

Other retailers continued to sell Midge dolls, in addition to an Allan doll with a stroller. That was basically the end of the road for Allan; he was essentially erased from Barbie lore afterwards, at least until the Barbie movie. Midge disappeared after pregnancy and resurfaced in 2012 A Barbie life in a dream house animated show, with a few puppets thrown in. And in that world, Midge’s kids don’t exist – and neither does Allan. Uncomfortable!

The Midge’s Barbie is clearly the pregnant Midge, in a nod to the doll’s controversial past. Allan is dressed in his original 1964 outfit, while Midge sports a pregnant belly and her iconic purple floral dress. Of course, we don’t know much about Midge and Allan’s roles in the Barbie movie, except they are played by Emerald Fennell (The crown) and Michael Cera (Arrested development), respectively.