Barbie and The Colour Pink (Fun Facts)

Source: @margotrobbieofficial on Instagram

Pink mania is upon us with the release of the new Barbie movie, starring Margot Robbie. 

The colour pink has a remarkable history. There's loads of fun facts, ranging from its origins to psychology, nature, science and consumerism. Take a peak at the colour pink. 

Origins Of The Colour Pink

Before the early 1600s, pink, was simply referred to as a shade of red.

The colour pink came into existence in the English language when a specific rose tint was created for Madame de Pompadour by the renown Sèvres porcelain company.

Madame de Pompadour was a mistress of Louis XV who famously loved pink clothes. She was one of the most powerful women in 18th-century France.   

Originally, ‘to pink,’ which dates back to the fourteenth century, was used as a verb and means ‘to decorate with a perforated or punching pattern.’ 

A Pink Peony - Hay On Wye

Flowers

The colour pink was named after the flowers, pinks, which have frilled edges.

Some people suggest it’s the most given colour for sending flowers to someone.

Psychology

It's also widely believed that pastries, sweets and candies taste better in pink boxes. Check out the pink v black food challenge. 

In the early 1980s, Haden Fry, a football coach at the University of Iowa decided the visitors’ locker roomb at Kinnick Stadium should be painted pink to undermine the opposing team and stop them playing well by making them feel as if they were losing their physical strength.

Legend has it that Fry, who has a Master's degree in psychology, read that pink can have a calming effect on people."

In his book, 'A High Porch,' Fry wrote:

"When I talk to an opposing coach before a game and he mentions the pink walls, I know I've got him," 

He also noted:

"I can't recall a coach who has stirred up a fuss about the color and then beat us."

In fact, in 1979, psychologist Alexander Schauss convinced a Naval correctional institute in Seattle to paint the insides of cells a bright, hot pink shade called ‘Baker-Miller Pink’. This study showed certain shades of pink could reduce aggression and wardens were inspired by the results. 

Throughout the 1980s, psychiatric units and other holding areas were painted Baker-Miller Pink because it seemed to mean quieter inmates with less physical and verbal abuse.

Around The World

In Thailand, pink is the colour of Tuesday. 

In Korea, pink represents trust and hot-pink seats are designated for pregnant women in the metro. 

In China, the symbol for pink means ‘foreign colour’.

In the West, pink became fashionable in the mid 18th century. European male and female aristocrats wore faint, powdery variants. During the Renaissance, pink was mainly used for the color of faces and hands. In Catholicism, pink, which is called rose by the Church, symbolises joy and happiness. 

In 19th century England, young boys wore pink ribbons or decorations as they were considered small men as men wore red uniforms. Children's clothing was almost always white, since, as any color would quickly fade when washed in boiling water. Queen Victoria was painted in a portrait with her third son, Prince Arthur, who wore white and pink.The colour pink was named after the flowers, pinks, which have frilled edges.  

Not a fun fact, but an important one - during the Holocaust, the Nazis used inverted  pink triangles, ‘Rosa-Winkel,’ to label  homosexual men, bisexual men, and transgender women. This did not become public knowledge until the 1970s. From that point on,  the symbol was reclaimed by gay rights activists.

In Nature

Pink is the oldest surviving pigment on earth. Bright pink pigments have been underground within rocks for 1.1 billion years and came from ancient algae, trapped inside oil shale deposits.

Adelie penguins in the Antarctic coast and its islands are bright pink. Their guano (aka poop) are pink stains which can be seen from space (NASA on penguin poop). 

There's also dolphins that are pink. I was surprised to discover this on Twitter this morning. 

There are 29 pink lakes that have been discovered around the world. This is often caused by salt-tolerant algae in the water. Some lakes, like one in Melbourne, is only pink certain times of the year and also, it may not turn pink every year. 

However, pink doesn't appear in the rainbow. 

In Science

According to scientists, the colour pink doesn't exist. It is a scientific impossibility.

Pink is the blend of red and violet, but these colours are not next to each other on the colour spectrum. They are at opposite ends. 

Our brains perceive colour from data our eyes collect. That data is light ddecodde as colour. It is a sensation aarising within the brain.

If two people see a blue car. It's perceived as blue by one person, so he calls it blue. The other person perceives the car as yellow, but was always taught the name for the color is blue, so also calls the car blue.

Famous Logos & Brands

Despite pink not existing, it is the colour of many famous logos and brands

Since 1893, the Financial Times newsprint is a distinctive salmon pink color. The press uses this shade to distinguish economic newspapers or economics sections in "white" newspapers.

The colour pink is also in the logos for Barbie, Baskin Robbins, Cosmopolitan magazine, LG and the Pink Panther.

2023 - Pink is Back

Source: @davidbeckham on Instagram

Lionel Messi unveiled his pink number 10 jersey this week, to much fanfare after joining Inter Miami, the football club founded by David Beckham.

This month, the Barbie movie premiered with a pink carpet. On screen, you'll see Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, Dua Lipa, Simu Liu, Helen Mirren, John Cena and Will Ferrell. 

The Barbie movie is expected to generate around $100 million in North American theaters over the weekend. 

Even Google is getting on board. If you type in the term “Barbie,” "Margot Robbie,” “Ryan Gosling”, or “Greta Gerwig” into the search engine, you'll get pink sparkles. Then the screen has a pink hue and some of the text and icons will turn pink.

Zara, Primark, PrettyLittleThing and Aldo released Barbie-themed collections, with  clothes in various shades of pinks, as well as shoes and accessories paying homage to the doll.

Mattel’s Barbie division has reportedly spent $100m on marketing this year.

Pink - Some Final Thoughts 

Whether you're a Barbie or pink fan, colours can brighten up our day. It's also often thought pink is the colour of universal love of oneself and of others, representing friendship, affection, harmony, inner peace, and approach-ability. The power of pink and colour is upon us. 

For more on the Barbie movie:

Here's some other blog posts I've written:

Ellie Blake is a writer. She has one Barbie doll and she likes the colour pink, but she also loves all colours. 

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