If you're the ultimate Barbie expert or have already seen the film multiple times, you've probably clocked the many extremely clever cameos and references to other films as well as the decades-old Barbie universe: pregnant Midge, the animated Barbie movie references in Barbie Land, nods to The Wizard of Oz, The Matrix, The Shining, and more. But there could be one blink-and-you'll-miss it reference that might have flown right over your head. That is, unless you were more of a Bratz kid than a Barbie kid.
Since the film's release, there's a pretty compelling theory making the rounds on TikTok about the four teen girls Barbie encounters in the real world. The quartet consists of Sasha (played by Ariana Greenblatt) and her friends from school. One TikTok user has theorized that the four girls are a sly reference to the four original Bratz dolls: Sasha, Yasmin, Jade and Cloe.
And now, you won't be able to unsee it — the girls have a sassy attitude like the Bratz, and even look like each of the original doll characters. Plus, Sasha's mom (America Ferrera) has an affectionate nickname for her daughter: “Bunny Boo.” OG Bratz girls know that this also happens to be the Sasha doll's nickname and the name of her pet rabbit in the franchise.
Now, Bratz is a direct competitor to Barbie and their popularity was definitely a threat to the Mattel doll's domination. But a quick scroll through the cast roster on IMDB reveals that Sasha's friends are named variatons of "Junior High Friend" and not the other three Bratz, Yasmin, Jade, and Cloe. So while there's no concrete proof that this is a direct reference to Bratz, coincidence or not… this theory is genius.
These characters could also be a cheeky nod to another Barbie alternative, the early aughts cult-favorite My Scene dolls, which Mattel launched after the success of Bratz. Given that Barbie is so jam-packed with Easter eggs, basically anything and everything could be a reference to something. Isn't it so much fun playing Detective Barbie?
