'Barbie' Woman Who Inspired Doll Gives Margot Thumbs-Up

The woman who the Barbie doll is named after is giving Margot Robbie her stamp of approval ... and she thinks the upcoming movie is going to please Barbie fans.

Barbara Handler, whose mother Ruth created the famous toy and named it after her, tells TMZ ... she's seen the "Barbie" movie trailer that just dropped and thinks Margot nailed the starring role.

Overall, Barbara thinks the trailer is super cute and she's especially liking Margot's voice ... and it's got her looking forward to the movie's July release even more. She says the rest of the cast, which includes Ryan Gosling, seems to be great together.

Barbara says her late mother, who also named the Ken doll after Barbara's late brother, never imagined her creation being turned into a Hollywood production ... and she thinks Ruth would be pleased to see the doll come to life on the big screen.

The Handler family wasn't involved in the film, but Barbara says it's great to see her mother's legacy live on.

BTW ... Barbara does NOT go by Barbie -- she's been embarrassed by the connection her whole life. Ditto her brother Ken, who also didn't like the association.

'Barbie' Movie Trailer Fans Pissed 'Barbie Girl' Song MIA from Movie

You'd think Barbie fans would be more than satisfied with the latest trailer for the Margot Robbie flick ... but some have a serious question for those who worked on the movie -- where's the freakin' Aqua song?!?!

That's right, fans are scratching their heads at this week's new look at Warner Brothers' "Barbie" -- with many calling the absence of Aqua's "Barbie Girl" a HUGE missed opportunity.

Check out the responses to the missing 1997 hit ... one says it'll be heartbreaking if the song doesn't make the cut.

Another fan points out, the trailer starts with Ken, played by Ryan Gosling, shouting out "Hi Barbie!" ... with Margot responding, "Hi Ken!" ... just like in the Aqua track.

When the movie was first announced, Ulrich Møller-Jørgensen -- manager for Aqua lead singer Lene Nystrøm -- said the track wouldn't be used but never explained why.

Of course, there's been a legal battle between Mattel and Aqua. The toy company filed suit against MCA Records back in 1997 for distributing the track -- Mattel was concerned it would hurt the brand. Aqua came out victorious in the end.

Even Barbie is controversial these days ... jeez.

Margot Robbie Come On Barbie, Let's Go Party!!! Ryan Gosling's Ken on Set

It's all coming to life ... Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling's Barbie and Ken characters came face-to-face on set -- the first time fans have gotten a glimpse of the two together.

Both clearly were dressed in wardrobe from Barbie's cowgirl collection Tuesday in L.A. Gosling sported a black ensemble, complete with a white cowboy hat -- and Robbie wore Barbie's signature pink with a white hat.

It's the first time we've seen both characters together on set -- but not the first time we've seen them in costume.

Fans went nuts when pics of both Gosling and Robbie were first dropped, showing them in the iconic roles.

While Margot and Ryan are seemingly the movie's leads ... there are also reports other stars will be featured as Barbie and Ken in Greta Gerwig's movie. Simu Liu and Ncuti Gatwa are the alleged additional Kens and Issa Rae and Hari Nef are the alleged other Barbies.

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The movie is expected to be released next summer.

Mattel Owners One-Time Barbie Penthouse For Sale ... Lists at Nearly $10 Mil

The L.A. penthouse once owned by the founders of Mattel -- and the makers of Barbie -- is hitting the market for someone else to live and play inside ... and it's going for a bundle.

The 3-bed, 3-bath condo in the luxurious Century Towers is about to list for just under $10 million after having been enjoyed by interior designer Nicole Sassaman for some years now -- this after she bought the place in 2012 for $2 mil ... according to The Post.

At the time, Sassaman took it off the hands of Barbara and Kenneth Handler -- the children of Mattel OGs Ruth and Elliot, who used to call the place home -- and made it her own sophisticated pad over the years, with echoes of doll vibes throughout ... albeit, nothing close to what you might consider classic "Barbie."

In other words, the place isn't covered in pink and a ton of tacky, plastic decor. But there is some cool Barbie art lying around ... making it way more chic than anything Barbie herself ever stepped foot in for children across America. Bottom line ... the home is a beaut.

It might just be an apartment at its core, but the penthouse is truly a taste of modern-day life -- there are mirrored surfaces in just about every room for great light and sense of space ... and don't even get us started with the views one gets from the balcony area overlooking L.A.

Seeing how it's in a super swanky building to begin with, it's got all the nice amenities one might expect ... a dog park, pool, tennis courts, valet parking, concierge, etc. The works, basically. The listing is held by Scott Segall, Carrie Berkman Lewis from Douglas Elliman.

While the asking price might be high enough to make Barbie herself blush, that's real estate in L.A. right now -- buy low and sell high, folks. Good luck, Nic!

Real-Life Barbie Lady Seeking Eternal Youth Getting Labiaplasty & Butt Implants

A woman in search of something thinks she may have found it in cosmetic surgery -- all in an effort to look like Barbie ... a journey that's not complete without tweaks to her vagina.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Nannette Hammond is set to appear on a reality show called "Lookalike Love" -- which documents her plans to transform (yes, even more so than where she's currently at) into a de facto human Barbie doll.

Here's just a smidge of what we're told Nannette is getting done ... a bigger butt (via implants) as well as having her vagina tightened (labiaplasty) -- procedures that'll cost somewhere in the ballpark of $75k to $90k. No word on who's actually footing the bill, BTW.

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As for why she's looking to get her lady parts cinched ... our production sources say it has to do with the fact Nannette's had 7 kids and is looking to spruce things up so she can feel (and look) young again ... a la Barbie. Production isn't underway yet due to COVID, but we're hearing the cameras should hopefully be rolling again soon to capture all this.

We should also note ... this isn't her first rodeo under the knife -- Nannette has spent upwards of $500k on surgeries, all for this seemingly never-ending desire to be an actual Barbie. That includes 3 boob jobs/lifts, lip fillers, veneers and semi-permanent makeup.

As for the Barbie obsession ... our sources say Nannette just loves the idea of Barbie, and always has since she was a kid. She says she won't stop going down this rabbit hole until she's at least 70 ... which, if true, she's got a ways to go. The woman's just 47.

"Lookalike Love" airs on July 7 at 10 PM EST/9 PM CST on Lifetime.

Barbie Responds to Don Jr. Diss ... We Don't Choose Sides, We Empower Girls!!!

Barbie's new line of dolls meant to inspire all girls to raise their voices and get interested in public service quickly got political when Donald Trump Jr. got involved ... but the toy company's shutting him down.

Shortly after the Barbie 2020 Campaign Team -- made up of 4 diverse dolls including a candidate, a campaign manager, a fundraiser and a voter -- was unveiled to "expose girls to public leadership roles and pique their interest in shaping the future" ... Don Jr. used it to take a shot at Democrats.

Don tweeted ... "'Voter' Barbie must be a Democrat because she’s already wearing an 'I Voted' sticker and yet she’s got another ballot in her hand."

Not the most original joke, and according to the makers of Barbie ... it's also inaccurate.

A Mattel spokesperson tells TMZ ... "Barbie is not, and has never been, affiliated with a political party. Barbie has always encouraged girls to stand up for what they believe in and shows them they can be anything."

The Mattel rep adds ... "This doll set highlights a range of leadership roles to pique their interest in shaping the future and raise their voices – from the podium to the polls. This set also provides a tool to allow families to have conversations around important events and cultural moments through play."

Of course, Don Jr.'s joke comes as President Trump continues to push claims mail-in voting is fraudulent and will only benefit Democrats in the upcoming election.

Truth is, there are no facts to back that up ... just like Jr.'s jab at Barbie.

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