The year 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of Aqua’s debut album ‘Aquarium’ and iconic global hit “Barbie Girl“. This will be celebrated and marked by an exclusive re-release of the album on September 9th via Universal Music Enterprises.
‘Barbie Girl’ was released as a part of their ground-breaking debut album ‘Aquarium’ in 1997, the hit made everyone sing along the lines “I’m a Barbie Girl, in the Barbie World,” while it also catapulted Aqua into the public consciousness.
Not only did the group gain attention for their iconic music, but their cartoonish universe with blue hair, spikes, and wild outfits made them a true symbol of the late 90s.
Having sold 33 million albums and gained worldwide attention, Aqua stands as a one-of-a-kind moment in Danish music history worth celebrating.
In September 1997, six months after the release of the song by Aqua, Mattel, the manufacturer of the Barbie doll, sued MCA Records, Aqua’s North American record label. Mattel claimed that “Barbie Girl” violated their trademark and turned her into a sex object, referring to her as a “blonde bimbo”. It alleged that the song infringed its copyrights and trademarks on the Barbie doll and that the song’s lyrics had ruined the longtime popularity and reputation of their trademark and impinged on their marketing plan. Aqua and MCA Records claimed that Mattel injected their own meanings into the song’s lyrics. They contested Mattel’s claims and countersued for defamation after Mattel had likened MCA to a bank robber. The lawsuit filed by Mattel was dismissed by the lower courts, and this dismissal was upheld, though Mattel took their case up to the Supreme Court of the United States, but that appeal was later rejected.
In 2009, Mattel released a series of advertisements and a promotional music video of the song, with modified lyrics, as part of a new marketing strategy brought in to revive sales.