Barbie x Oppenheimer: 5 hilarious tweets and memes that sum up the Barbenheimer phenomenon

It's officially Barbie VS Oppenheimer or Barbenheimer, a phenomenon cum trend started by netizens. Both extremely hyped-up works by two critically acclaimed directors have made record-breaking big-screen debuts just today, July 21, 2023.

As is the case with every social media trend, ever since the commencement of Barbenheimer, Twitter has been flooded with memes and tweets. While some may consider such tweets as promotional strategies benefitting both Barbie and Oppenheimer, others are also pitting them against each other.

Both films have A-list stellar casts, with Barbie being headlined by Margot Robbie as the titular character and Ryan Gosling as Ken. Meanwhile, Cillian Murphy plays the lead as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan's Oppenheimer alongside co-stars Emily Blunt as Katherine Oppenheimer and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, among other big Hollywood names.

Nonetheless, Barbenheimer is a phenomenon that has engulfed all platforms for the past couple of weeks. Now, in this moment of truth, here are five tweets and memes to understand the experience.

---

Barbenheimer: Five hilarious tweets and memes to summarize the Barbie VS Oppenheimer phenomenon

1) The one where Ryan Gosling asks, "What is a meme?" in reference to Cillian Murphy's interview

According to Insider, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling discussed memes and Barbenheimer in an interview with BBC Radio 1 on July 18. Both actors shared their thoughts on the social media trend.

When asked if she had seen one of those memes, Robbie, who stars as Barbie in Greta Gerwig's live-action movie, said that her friends have been sending her quite a few. She called people "who come up with those funny memes" clever. Meanwhile, Gosling, who plays Ken, started a new meme by asking, "What is a meme?"

Several Twitter users quickly picked up the reference from Cillian Murphy's interview with NME. In the interview, the Oppenheimer actor asked the same question when the host asked him about the "disappointed Cillian Murphy meme."

---

2) The "Barbenheimer has made it to Wikipedia" tweet

A recent tweet of the Barbeheimer Wikipedia page posted by a Twitter user went viral. The page described the phenomenon in detail, with the concept thoroughly explained and the origin of the trend cited with a date.

The last line, however, is the cherry on the cake as the page mentions how Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan has failed to comment on the trend. It also mentions that Greta Gerwig and Marbot Robbie have already jumped on the cross-promotion bandwagon after being pictured buying tickets to Nolan's film.

---

3) The epic Barbie and Oppenheimer crossover

Netizens have created several crossovers for the Barbenheimer trend. In one particular meme, the entire setting of Oppenheimer is transformed into the backdrop from the Barbie movie. This also includes the track being played in the background.

---

4) The one with the pink explosion

While users have already seen multiple explosions, this one is considered "hands down the best" Barbenheimer edit. Twitter users say that the memes and promotional tactics for these two strikingly contrasting films are getting out of hand.

---

5) Malibu's Barbie Dream House explosion

Recently, a Barbie Dream House mysteriously surfaced in Malibu, no doubt, as part of the promotions. Twitter users were quick to discuss possible strategies for the Oppenheimer promotions teams, which involved a changing-the-face-of-earth kind of bomb and this Dream House. Shortly after, another meme went viral of an explosion at the house.