Stewart Semple takes on Mattel over trademarked pink as ‘Barbie’ movie approaches

Colors can’t be copyrighted. Still, some shades tend to be trademarked, and one is “Barbie pink,” which Mattel owns. So, with Barbie coming out sometime this week, one TikToker has done something to ensure that creatives out there could somewhat have access to the color without dealing with trademark lawyers.

For context, Stuart Semple, also known as Culture Hustle on TikTok, is responsible for creating a shade called “Black 3.0.” This darkest shade of black was made to combat British-Indian sculptor Anish Kapoor’s exclusive license to a color called “Vantablack.” It was described as “the blackest black color” since it is not reflective. The artist told The Guardian that the shade was “a collaboration” and that he wanted the shade to be used for certain things. Hence, the creation of “Black 3.0.”

Semple wanted the color accessible to everyone and believed that shades shouldn’t be locked away for other artists to use.

Now, Semple has a new target, Mattel, and its chokehold approach to “Barbie Pink.” According to the latest Culture Hustle video, this specific shade of pink is also trademarked to the point where Aqua couldn’t use it during their single, “Barbie Girl.” Furthermore, with the recent painting of the Airbnb Barbie Dreamhouse in Malibu using this shade, it now faces restrictions for interior decorating purposes as well.

To combat this, Semple created “Pinkie,” a shade of pink to challenge Mattel’s trademark over the color. The shade is currently available for pre-order on the Culture Hustle website and was made using a blend of high-quality acrylic resins, optical brighteners, and new fluorescent pigments. Fingers crossed that this shade won’t cause another paint shortage. We’re looking at you, Greta Gerwig.

This paint will not only challenge the company’s trademark but will soon make this iconic color accessible to the public for anyone to use. It is also mentioned on the product page that those who add this product to their cart “confirm that they are not Mattel,” nor are they affiliated with Barbie‘s parent company.

“By adding this product to your cart you confirm that you are not Mattel, the owners of the Barbie brand, you are in no way affiliated to Mattel, you are not purchasing this item on behalf of Mattel or an associate of Mattel. To the best of your knowledge, information and belief this material will not make its way into the hands of Mattel.”

Semple has created a ton of paint that combat companies’ chokehold on certain shades in the market. He made “Tiff,” a turquoise shade similar to Tiffany and Co’s trademarked color. He also released “Easy Klein,” a shade that resembles IKB, owned by Calvin Klein.

If you want access to this newest yet familiar version of pink, “Pinkie” will be released on July 28, 2023.