Billie Eilish's dad brought home trashed Barbies while working at Mattel: 'We were thrilled'

ByGeorge Pennacchio OTRC logo
Friday, March 8, 2024
Billie Eilish's dad brought her Barbies when he worked at Mattel
Billie Eilish and Finneas said writing music for "Barbie" was a full circle moment for their family because their father used to work for Mattel.

Billie Eilish and Finneas are Oscar nominees for best original song for "What Was I Made For" from the blockbuster film, "Barbie."

The sibling songwriters won an Oscar just two years ago for the James Bond movie theme, "No Time To Die."

Billie Eilish, Jon Batiste, Ryan Gosling to perform at Oscars

Ryan Gosling, Billie Eilish, Jon Batiste, Becky G and more will perform nominated original songs at the 2024 Oscars.

At the Palm Springs Film Festival, where Billie and Finneas were given the Chairman's Award, they revealed that writing music for the "Barbie" movie was a full circle moment for their family -- since their dad used to work for the toy maker, Mattel.

"I remember one year the Barbie [that] Billie got was thrown out." Finneas said. "It was like a Barbie from the trash can."

Billie doesn't considered them trash, but simply the Barbies that were tossed aside.

Finneas O
Finneas O'Connell, left, and Billie Eilish arrive at the 96th Academy Awards Oscar nominees luncheon, Feb. 12, 2024, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

"I don't think he was supposed to take it, but he took it," Billie said. "It was trash."

They said their father would gift Billie these discarded Barbies for Christmas.

"Recycling king," Finneas said of his father. "Whatever employee had just thrown it out, he took it out and gave it to Billie and we were thrilled."

March 10 is Oscar Sunday! Watch the 2024 Oscars live on ABC.

Red carpet coverage starts at 1 p.m. ET 10 a.m. PT with "Countdown to Oscars: On The Red Carpet Live." At 4 p.m. ET 1 p.m. PT, live coverage continues with "On The Red Carpet at the Oscars," hosted by George Pennacchio with Roshumba Williams, Leslie Lopez and Rachel Brown.

Watch all the action on the red carpet live on ABC, streaming live on OnTheRedCarpet.com and on the On the Red Carpet Facebook and YouTube pages.

The 96th Oscars, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, begins at 7 p.m. ET 4 p.m. PT, an hour earlier than past years.

The Oscars are followed by an all-new episode of "Abbott Elementary."