Barbie dolls have been a part of popular culture since their invention in 1959, and have been marketed as a way for children to explore a world of make-believe. But according to CoinDesk columnist Leah Callon-Butler, director of Emfarsis, Barbie dolls are more than just a piece of plastic – they are gateways to metaverses, or places where humans have found the capacity to transcend the limitations of our physical existence and explore manufactured worlds in pursuit of greater meaning and fulfillment in our lives.
Herman Narula, co-founder of Improbable, a metaverse technology company, argues that metaverses are defined by the experiences and social interactions that we have within them, the meaning that we derive from those experiences, and how the value created by those experiences is exchanged with other interconnected worlds. He points to ancient monuments such as the Göbekli Tepe and Egyptian pyramids as evidence that humans have been traversing metaverses for many thousands of years.
Barbie dolls fit the criteria for Narula’s metaverse, as they span multiple realities and many interconnected worlds. Through the collective strength of little girls’ imaginations worldwide, Barbie has merged with reality to become tangible over time. Barbie’s imaginary world has adapted to the changing times as women’s societal roles evolved and their ambitions grew bigger and bolder.
However, the realness of Barbie’s metaverse has waned with the rise of an increasingly woke postmodern society. Just as Santa’s sleigh might drop out of the sky if the Christmas spirit runs too low, or how bank runs happen when people lose faith in the financial system, Barbie relies on her believers to will her into existence.
The incredible success of the recent Barbie movie has rescued the iconic toy from fading into cultural oblivion, as millions around the world are now buying back into the myth. As Narula says, “Virtual worlds are spoken into existence and sustained by the strength of our collective belief in them. As people come to believe in these other worlds, their faith expands the worlds’ parameters, and these realms can, effectively, come to life.”