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The first time we meet the Mattel CEO as played by Will Ferrell<\/strong> in Barbie<\/em><\/a>, he\u2019s holding pink drumsticks and waxing poetic about how to empower young girls. \u201cWhen you think of sparkle, what do you think after that?\u201d he asks a boardroom full of besuited white men. The answer, he\u2019s delighted to share, is this: \u201cFemale agency!\u201d<\/p>\n You\u2019d be forgiven if you walked out of the movie assuming that the actual high-powered executive behind the most famous doll in the world is, in the words of Ferrell himself<\/a>, a \u201cbumbling idiot.\u201d In Greta Gerwig<\/strong>\u2019s depiction<\/a>, he\u2019s inept, likes to be tickled, and doesn\u2019t seem to understand that trying to literally put Barbie back in her box is at odds with his aim of supporting little girls\u2019 dreams \u201cin the least creepy way possible.\u201d Watching the film, I could hardly believe that Mattel and CEO Ynon Kreiz<\/strong> signed off on the depiction. \u201cWe embrace self-deprecation,\u201d says Kreiz in an interview. \u201cI thought many parts of [the movie]\u2014especially the Will Ferrell part\u2014were very funny, hilarious at times. We take our brands very seriously and we take what we do very seriously, but we don\u2019t take ourselves very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps Kreiz could sense that it would pay off to be in on the joke. In its opening weekend<\/a>, Barbie<\/em> earned an astonishing $162 million domestically and another $182 million abroad. It was not only the top opening of the year, but a record<\/a> for a female director. \u201cThe goal was always to make something very special,\u201d Kreiz says. \u201cThis was not about making a movie. This was about creating a cultural event that will reach, engage, and touch consumers all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n