She’s everything. He’s just Allan.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Greta Gerwig’s pinktastic, doll-inspired blockbuster Barbie hit theaters over the weekend and shattered box office records, snagging the biggest opening weekend of the year with $155 million.
From hot-pink costumes at every corner, to round-the-clock streams of Dua Lipa’s bop for the soundtrack, we’re living through full fledged Barbiemania. Even the film’s Madrid premiere served head-to-toe, plastic and fantastic couture.
And while Gay Twitter is obsessed with Margot Robbie’s lewks, enamored by Ryan Gosling’s bleach blonde hair, and suckers for “planned choreography and a bespoke song,” there’s one character in Barbie that we have unequivocally claimed for ourselves: Allan.
In a world of hyper fem Barbies and toxically masc Kens, Allan exists somewhere between the binaries of Barbie Land. “There are no multiples of Allan, he’s just Allan,” the film’s narrator tells us. And his doll, portrayed by Michael Cera in the film, is actually based off a real-life Mattel toy.
Allan hit the market in 1964 as Ken’s “buddy,” wearing a rainbow colored polo and tight, blue shorts in a box that announced “All of Ken’s clothes fit him!” If you think that sounds just a little fruity, you’re not the only one… and he was discontinued by 1966.
Though Barbie never directly addresses Allan’s flamboyance, there are a few moments that allow us to read between the lines: His preference for hanging with the girlies and his feminist point of view! His love of dancing?! The fact that he OPEN MOUTH SCREAMS every time Ken gets hurt?!?! They are “buddies,” after all.
And if that wasn’t enough, Gerwig and the casting directors’ first choice for Allan –– Jonathan Groff, who turned down the role due to scheduling constraints –– nearly confirms his status as a friend of Dorothy.
While we don’t get to see Allan find a Ken of his own, Gerwig did reveal that LGBTQ+ representation was front of mind while crafting Barbie. Not only does the film feature queer actors like Scott Evans, Hari Nef, and Alexandra Shipp, but its Mattel-approved script also somehow managed to sneak in a fistful of “beach him off” jokes.
“There’s no way we could have told this story without bringing in the LGBTQ+ community, and it was important for us to represent the diversity that Mattel has created with all of the different Barbies and Kens that exist today,” she told Out Magazine. We have no choice but to stan!
Between his breezy rainbow-colored top, slick moves, and a never-changing facial expression of gay panic, one thing’s for certain: Allan is definitely getting an invite to the Pines next year.
Check out some of our favorite tweets about Barbie‘s Allan, our new bestie and the resident queer icon of Barbie Land.
Thad
I’ve always loved Allan. But what about Bob and Poindexter, the other boyfriends from the Barbie game? You could win the game with any of them.
bachy
There was a split second shot of Allan in the original Barbie trailer – and I fell in love instantly. I meticulously rewound the vid in order to ensure he wasn’t a figment of my imagination.
Not all the boy dolls in the Barbie universe are alphas, after all! Some are betas like my dear Allan!
Louis
Cera certainly doesn’t bring anything new to his portrayal of Allan (he is just Michael Cera being as Michael Cera is in every film!) but even that doesn’t stop Allan being a fun character I’m sure everyone wished had more screen time.
Fahd
Is Allan to Barbie and Ken what Tony Randall was to Doris Day and Rock Hudson?