Michael Cera Warner Bros.
Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie gave one minor character a major shining moment.
Thanks to the film’s release on Friday, July 21, vintage Allan dolls have seen a significant spike in resale prices. Initially ranging from $35 to $75 on eBay, the dolls — which were discontinued by Mattel shortly after their 1964 rollout — are now available for up to $300, per TMZ.
Despite the resurgence in Allan’s popularity, Mattel is unlikely to put the doll back on the shelves. Barbie features several more often forgotten toys from the company, including Pregnant Midge, Video Barbie and Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken.
Michael Cera delivers a charming performance as the one and only Allan in the film. He teams up with Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) and her fellow dolls to take back Barbieland from the Kens, led by Ryan Gosling.
Allan was originally marketed as “Ken’s buddy,” and some fans have interpreted a deeper Relationship between the characters. Cera, 35, reflected on the nature of Allan and Ken’s bond in an interview before Barbie hit theaters (and before the SAG-AFTRA strike put promotion on pause).
“Well, the way I read it in the script was that Allan is sort of obsessed with Ken, if not in love with him,” Cera told ScreenRant. “I love that he just wants the best for Ken, even if that means Ken not being near him. He wants Ken’s happiness. I thought that was sort of a life of servitude in a way. Distant yearning.”
Barbie earned rave reviews after its highly anticipated premiere — and broke records at the box office. The fun-filled fantasy brought in an estimated $162 million upon its opening weekend, beating out Oppenheimer with roughly $82.4 million.
While Cera’s role in the film is small, his character was a fan favorite. “I was desperate to be a part of it,” he told The Guardian earlier this month. “I would stand there [on set] and marvel, and [I] never got tired of looking around and finding new little details. It was one of the most stunning things I’ve ever seen.”
Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Greta Gerwig, Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, America Ferrera and Michael Cera. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
The movie might seem like a departure for Gerwig, who previously helmed Lady Bird and Little Women in 2017 and 2019, respectively. The filmmaker also has acting credits of her own, starring in 2012’s Frances Ha and 2015’s Mistress America.
As film fanatics questioned whether Gerwig’s involvement in Barbie was a sign of her “selling out,” Cera defended his director. “A film is a product. A film is a capitalist venture, isn’t it?” he told GQ UK in a recent interview. “I mean, they don’t put them out for our health; they’re trying to make a return on them.”
Cera went on to praise Gerwig’s “attention to detail” during filming, saying, “It didn’t feel like playtime. It felt like the biggest amount of money I’ve ever seen spent.”