British Columbians jump on the Barbie-Oppenheimer bandwagon

One of nine photos posted online by Simon Fraser University on Friday, July 21, 2023, as the school reimagines life on campus if Barbie were a student. (SFU)

As pink-clad movie goers flock to theatres to see the highly-anticipated Barbie movie, some B.C. institutions are getting dolled up and joining in on the fun.

Simon Fraser University has nine examples of what its campuses would look like in Barbie’s world, posting the AI-generated photos on Facebook Friday.

In the post, SFU notes that several movies— including Halo, Agent Cody Banks and Battlestar Galactica—have been filmed on its campuses.

“With a sci-fi aesthetic and brutalist architecture, SFU has been transformed into FBI Headquarters, Space Marine Training Facilities, Secret Bio-Mutant laboratories and even a Nickleback music video,” reads the post. “But we wanted to see, what if SFU became Barbie's dream school?”

From all-pink dorm rooms to a pink flowery school bus, AI-technology has transformed SFU into a Mattel-inspired institution.

“In the real world, our campus isn’t quite as pink, but as a university we do encourage our students to embrace their curiosity and imagination,” wrote Braden McMillan, SFU’s director of public affairs, communications and marketing, in an email to CTV News.

BC Hydro is jumping on the Barbie bandwagon too. The power authority posted a photo on Twitter Thursday of “Barbie’s Dream (Power)house.”

“We were just having a bit of fun with all the Barbie memes that have been surfacing around social media the last few weeks,” BC Hydro told CTV News Friday, crediting its social media team for the creation.

The Barbie film, which is directed by Greta Gerwig, will face some box office competition this weekend, as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is also debuting on the big screen.

Cinephiles have been picking sides between the two contrasting movies, which has also generated plenty of memes.

The Vancouver Canucks got in on the joke—posting two, side-by-side photos of player Quinn Hughes.

“One ticket for Oppenheimer please” is written above an image of a more serious-looking Hughes, while a happier photo is under the caption “One ticket for Barbie please.”

The Vancouver Aquarium posted a similar photo showing two fishy friends with different movie tastes.