A Veracruz Tortillería Is Selling Pink ‘Barbie Tortillas’ for Anyone Craving ‘Barbie-Coa’
We’re just days away from the much-anticipated “Barbie” movie landing in theaters and the hype is real.
Is it just us, or is our world becoming Barbieland? One trip to Walmart and you’re bumping into pink fleece pajamas with Barbie‘s cursive logo, a stop at Ulta might have you buying glittery-pink Barbie-branded lip gloss. And yes… every brand under the sun has a Barbie-themed collaboration right now, including Aldo, Zara and Crocs.
Thought food was safe from Barbiemania? Think again. Tons of restaurants are getting in on the trend, offering pink items on their menu to boost sales. Tortillería Ruby in San Andrés Tuxtla, Veracruz, just went TikTok viral for their “Barbie tortillas.”
With a video of their hot-pink tortillas reaching five million views, it’s safe to say we’re all going a bit Barbie-crazy right now. As one person commented, “Now we have the food we’re sneaking into the premiere,” which sounds like a plan to us!
Another wrote, “Barbiecoa taco 🌮 😳,” which is just… genius.
Tortillería Ruby’s owner explained to NMás, “We wanted to honor [Barbie] with our pink tortillas, with her name and logo.” He also called the doll an “icon.”
While we definitely need some Barbie-coa tacos in our lives, we can’t help but think about the movie’s genius marketing strategy. TIME Magazine listed dozens of Mattel’s latest official collaborations, including Uno cards, Airbnb, and Burger King. As per the outlet, the Copyright Office in the Library of Congress has registered over 2,000 Barbie-related works.
Even more genius than the movie’s official branded collabs, though? The fact that many smaller businesses are offering Barbie-themed products as a way to boost their own sales— without help from the movie’s marketing team at all.
If the “Barbie” movie’s marketing feels like a lot, some TikTok users believe that’s exactly the point
So, we all know the “Barbie” movie’s marketing tactics are genius. And yes, they’re definitely boosted by the film’s reported $100 million marketing budget.
As TikTok user Catherine Mora stated in a video, “All of the Barbie marketing, activations, licensing… has been absolutely AMAZING.” To illustrate her point, she talked about Barbie’s Malibu mansion on Airbnb, and other collabs including OPI’s very-pink new nail polish and Xbox’s new Barbie console. Whew.
“The marketing is really targeting every single demographic,” she pointed out. “‘Barbie’ [movie] really is the event of the year.”
So yes, we know Zara now has a dreamy Barbie collab, the movie is being advertised on every billboard in existence, and there’s even a viral TikTok Barbie filter now. Feeling like there’s no escape? Well, one TikTok user theorizes that’s exactly the point.
@lexniko explained in a video, “What they are actually doing is infusing Barbie into our everyday lives, it’s unavoidable.”
“And where this movie is about the social commentary of Barbie entering the real world, we are seeing that happen through the marketing,” she said. “The Barbieland is starting to infiltrate our everyday lives.”
So just like Barbie in the movie finds herself in the gray, slightly-boring real world, we’re finding ourselves in Barbieland… with pink tortillas and Barbie-coa tacos, of course.
Just like those pink tortillas, tons of restaurants are offering Barbie-themed foods
So, while you might have already snapped up one of the “Barbie” movie’s countless official collab products, you might prefer some Barbieland food instead.
While hot pink tortillas are always a yes in our books, why not try Barbie and Ken elotes in classic pink and blue?
You can also buy some Barbie conchas in Morelia, Michoacán, as evidenced by this TikTok video that has us just about to eat our screens. That pink reveal at the end when they cut it in half… Barbie heaven:
Even some local Starbucks cafés are getting in on the trend, as shown by this TikTok video of one Starbucks offering a “Barbie Pinkalicious Frap”
No matter if Barbie-themed clothes, home products, or food are more your vibe, we know this is going to be us next year: