Far-right podcaster Ben Shapiro was widely mocked after he took to his YouTube channel to express his dismay over the announcement of a Polly Pocket movie directed by Lena Dunham.
The Polly Pocket movie announcement came as a part of Mattel’s broader initiative to adapt several of its iconic toy properties into films, sparking both excitement and controversy among fans and critics alike.
Shapiro spent a significant portion of his video criticizing the newly revealed project, after previously targeting Greta Gerwig’s successful Barbie movie.
You can hear what Shapiro said in the video below.
Shapiro said:
“Now we are getting the Polly Pocket movie that is going to be directed by Lena Dunham, who is a trash person.” …
“Mattel execs say that there’s already a great script. I doubt that because they certainly did not have a great script for Barbie.”
“I assume that American Girl will actually be turned into a feminist icon who scorns America and believes that America was founded in 1619.”
“Thomas and Friends will be about a gay train or something. And Barney will be about a purple dinosaur railing against global climate change which is putting his friends and family in danger because people drive cars.”
“I can only imagine this is where they’re going with this.”
Shapiro was swiftly mocked for his performative outrage.
— (@)
— (@)
— (@)
@isopowered5004/YouTube
@leftyloser1670/YouTube
@gotyourtags30/YouTube
@MaximillianXXX/YouTube
And while this tweet is from well before Shapiro’s reaction to the upcoming flick, it’s worth noting anyway.
— (@)
Despite the right-wing backlash, Barbie has been a resounding success at the box office.
The film—featuring Margot Robbie in the titular role and directed by Greta Gerwig—has raked in over $200 million domestically and more than double that amount abroad, with screenings drawing packed audiences, many clad in pink attire to celebrate the iconic doll.
Critics have praised the film, giving it a 90 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience approval stands at an impressive 87 percent.
Shapiro made headlines last week for burning several dolls on a barbecue grill to symbolize his discontent with the film. He went on to accuse the film and the studio of promoting “angry feminist claptrap” to create divisions between men and women.
This content was originally published here.