The 'Barbie: I Can Be a Computer Engineer' parodies stem from a 2010 Mattel book that was widely criticized for its regressive portrayal of women in technology. In the original story, Barbie relies on two male classmates to do the actual programming while she only handles the design. The internet responded by remixing the pages to show Barbie as a highly skilled programmer, a cybersecurity expert, or a developer dealing with real-world frustrations like merge conflicts and legacy code. These parodies reclaim the narrative, turning a controversial piece of media into a relatable commentary on the tech industry and gender roles in STEM.