Trixie Mattel Needs a TV Series About Barbie History ASAP

I love Trixie Mattel—obviously, because I can’t stop writing about her content. All those YouTube videos legit helped me get through 2020! But even though Trixie (and her frequent collaborator Katya) has enough regularly scheduled content to keep me entertained Monday through Sunday, I want more. I need more! Honestly, I think pop culture history needs Trixie Mattel’s voice, including her sonic boom of a laugh. It is time that someone [glares at Mattel Mattel] backs the truck up to Trixie Mattel’s pink abode and lets her host a for realsies docuseries about the history and cultural significance of toys.

Drag queens are everywhere, from competition shows to makeover shows to scripted content. There’s no shortage of drag-related and drag-adjacent content out there! But through her YouTube channel, Trixie Mattel has touched upon something that feels unique and—not surprisingly, given her name—perfect for her. While Trixie is definitely known for her proficiency with the cosmeceuticals, she has also proven time and time again to be not only an encyclopedia of Barbie history, but a charismatic ambassador perfectly poised to present history to the children.

When quarantine hit and Trixie went all in on becoming a certified YouTuber, she started to vary up the content. That  meant mixing in some extracurricular content (re: toys) into her mostly makeup channel. I mean, I love toys (this is actually 100% truthfully where I am and how I am dressed while typing these words) and I love pop culture history (especially when it’s, y’know, gay). Of course I love it when Trixie puts down the drug store makeup and picks up the dolls. That’s because Trixie doesn’t just show off her incredible Barbie collection. She smartly—and funnily!—breaks down why these dolls matter culturally and how they chart American progress. Barbies matter!

Like, who knew that Malibu Barbie was a feminist statement? As Trixie explained, that iconic ’70s doll marked the moment when Barbie stopped being passive in the kitchen and got active (by going to the beach and showing off her tan bod). Seriously, Mattel changed it so that Barbie was no longer giving a sultry side-eye; Malibu Barbie stared right at you with confidence!

But the progress kept going into the ’80s, a decade where Barbie did—as Trixie puts it—”completely disconnect from reality” with releases like Animal Lovin’ Ken, but they also introduced Barbies who had actual careers and wanted to be astronauts. And in the ’90s, Barbie became the “epitome of stupidity and glamour” while courting controversy with the release of Earring Magic Ken (a.k.a. Gay Ken). You laugh and learn while watching Trixie show off her dolls, and I live.

There is totally a market for this kind of content, too! Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us is incredibly addictive, informative, and entertaintative. They even did an episode all about Barbie, one that introduced us to Jill Barad, former Mattel CEO and owner of the only chair I’ve ever seen that needs its own true crime docuseries.

I can’t mention The Toys That Made Us without thinking of that chair. It haunts me.

Anyway—Trixie’s love and knowledge of Barbie history and passion for toys is so clear, so relatable, and so important. So many creators and artists and makers put so much thought into these dolls over the decades, knowing that they were going into the hands of kids. As Trixie always points out, these dolls regularly pushed the conversation forward and inspired generations to dream big (and also not be afraid of a fringe fashion moment). I love it when people talk about pop culture artifacts like the culturally significant touchstones they are. Trixie does that… while also observing that ’80s Barbie regularly asked the question, “What if everybody dressed like a total psychopath?”

I’m just saying, I want more of this. I want a full-on series starring Trixie Mattel, following her to toy museums and toy companies. I want her to gag over other toy collections and I want her to meet and interview the people who made Western Stampin’ Barbie. I want this diva to travel the world (once we’re in a post-pandemic paradise), uncovering the weird and wonderful histories of the toys that shaped the world! And until a streaming service is brave enough to make that happen, I will be glued to Trixie Mattel’s YouTube every single time she puts together a vintage Dream House or risks food poisoning by eating decades-old cookie dough in an Easy Bake Oven.

And you should too! The best way to get started is by diving into Trixie Mattel’s 5-part Decades of Dolls series.

• Trixie’s Decades of Dolls: The 60s
• Trixie’s Decades of Dolls: The 70s
• Trixie’s Decades of Dolls: The 80s
• Trixie’s Decades of Dolls: The 90s
• Trixie’s Decades of Dolls: Celebrity Edition!

Your move, Netflix.

Watch Trixie Mattel's YouTube channel