‘SNL’ offers ‘Barbie’ alternative with hilariously dark ‘American Girls’ movie

With the hype of the “Barbie” trailer still running high, “Saturday Night Live” reimagined the movie with another set of popular dolls: American Girl dolls.

The sketch began by recreating the opening shot from the trailer as Barbie (Margot Robbie) stepped out of her pink stiletto sandals. In the “SNL” version, the doll slipped off her black Mary Jane flats and stepped onto the floor in a pair of white ankle socks.

“People can’t stop talking about the trailer for the new ‘Barbie’ movie, but not all dolls live in a dream house,” a voiceover said during the opening clips. “Some are bigger, younger, sadder. Some dolls are American Girls.”

The “American Girls” movie was penned as “a new live-action story about your favorite historically accurate dolls, each with their own harrowing back story.”

Chloe Fineman took on the role of Samantha and shared her backstory, telling the group she was an “orphan from Victorian times,” adding, “I watched my parents die on a boat.”

“That’s okay, my best friend Marta died of cholera,” Heidi Gardner added as Kirsten, to which Molly Kearney as the doll Molly said, “That’s okay! My daddy’s a prisoner of war. And tragically, I have glasses.”

Ana de Armas, who made her hosting debut during last night’s episode, played the doll Josefina, telling the group, “That’s okay! My mama is dead. We buried her in the church graveyard.”

“That’s okay! I don’t know my birthday because I’m a runaway slave,” Ego Nwodim deadpanned as she took on the role of Addy.

The group paused before de Armas broke the tension and said, “Let’s play!” to which everyone but Nwodim cheered in response.

“Do they have pink corvettes? Nope. Boyfriends? No way,” the voiceover said while clips of the dolls doing mundane tasks, such as doing laundry with a washboard, scrubbing the floors, and churning butter, were shown. “Did all of their family members die of vague old-timey diseases? Absolutely.”

The sketch then shifted into a montage of clips which included the dolls having a “fashion show” and the group covering Sarah Sherman, who portrayed the doll Kit, with a sheet after she succumbed to her disease. “That’s okay!” Gardner yelled her catchphrase after Sherman was covered.

Later in the trailer, the dolls traveled in a horse drawn carriage from American Girl Land to modern times, sharing their plans to stop some of history's terrible events. However, on the journey they lose another doll due to disease, tossing Gardner’s body out of the back of the buggy before they continued on their way.

The “Blonde” star made her “SNL” hosting debut April 15 alongside musical guest, Karol G.

During her monologue at the top of the show, de Armas reflected on the year so far, including her best actress nomination at the Oscars and how she would be getting her American citizenship in less than a month.

She also shared how she learned English when she moved to the United States by watching “Friends,” and a sweet story about Robert De Niro visiting her father at work in Cuba after working on the movie “Hands of Stone” together.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com