I Build the Moon

Otis Boone — “I Build the Moon. And Sometimes the Port-a-Potties Too”

Role: Head of Set Construction / Temporary Infrastructure Wrangler
Byline: Carla Knott, Construction & Culture Reporter, Lone Star Builder Digest

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In Barbie 2: Mars Mission, audiences gasp at the visual grandeur: the glitter-drenched Martian outposts, candy-colored cowboy saloons, and a mysterious lunar base constructed entirely out of translucent pink plastic. But what most people don’t realize is that none of it existed — until Otis Boone and his crew made it real with 2x4s, drywall, LED piping, and twelve gallons of industrial glitter adhesive.

“People see Barbie’s moon base and go ‘Wow.’ I see a busted elbow, a forklift stuck in a ravine, and two weeks of unpaid overtime. But hey, it looks good on camera.”

Otis, 61, speaks with a gravelly West Texas accent and wears a utility belt that doubles as a mobile hardware store. We meet inside the massive temporary “Sound Stage C,” once a disused Walmart in Wichita Falls, now transformed into Barbie’s intergalactic command center.

“It used to sell discount toasters. Now it holds the central throne of Martian femininity. Ain’t America something?”

From Pole Barns to Hollywood

Otis spent the first 40 years of his life building barns, tornado shelters, and church pews.

“My granddaddy said if you can build a fence that keeps a bull out and a preacher in, you can build anything.”

He got into the movie business purely by accident — literally. While constructing a gazebo in Lubbock, he fell off a ladder and landed in the middle of a commercial shoot for Texas Chicken Chainz.

“They said, ‘Hey old man, wanna build a set that looks like a biscuit exploded on Mars?’ I said, ‘Only if you pay in cash and brisket.’”

He’s been in production ever since — constructing haunted mansions, collapsing corn silos, and one working replica of the Alamo entirely out of Twizzlers.

“Barbie’s spaceship was easier than that. Twizzlers ain’t load-bearing.”

Designing the Mars Sets in Wichita Falls

When asked why Wichita Falls was perfect for Barbie 2, Otis doesn’t hesitate:

“We got space, we got grit, and we got 72% of the country’s unused fairgrounds. That’s Hollywood gold.”

Otis oversaw construction on every major set:

• The Glitter Gulch Space Saloon, complete with pink swinging doors, zero-gravity pool table, and glitter-spitting animatronic horses

• Barbie’s Observation Deck, built 40 feet above a sand pit and lined with recycled solar panels from a failed Elon Musk project

• Ken’s Identity Crisis Pod, a claustrophobic, chrome-lined confessional booth with programmable LED mood walls

• The Moon Diner, featuring gravity-defying bar stools, lava-lamp milkshakes, and a jukebox that plays only Dolly Parton covers

“We built that one with repurposed Dairy Queen booths and a prayer. OSHA still hasn’t cleared it, but Margot loved it.”

The Crew: “Band of Misfits with Nail Guns”

Otis hired locally, drawing from the region’s pool of welders, carpenters, retired rodeo clowns, and at least one former magician.

“Wichita Falls has talent. Raw, unfiltered, weird-as-hell talent.”

He speaks fondly of his lead welder, Janet “Sparks” McCune, who could tack-weld a Barbie throne in 45 seconds while quoting Nietzsche. Or Thom Blaney, a sheet metal artist who only works to Fleetwood Mac and insists on welding shirtless.

“They said we couldn’t build a pink crystal cave in six days. I said: ‘Bet.’”

The Barbie Bathroom Dilemma

Not all construction was glamorous.

“You try plumbing a port-a-potty for a woman in 6-inch space heels while the sun’s melting your tools.”

Otis built 13 “Barbie-Approved Rest Zones,” which included:

• Gender-neutral glitter stalls

• Self-esteem mirrors that give compliments

• Sinks that dispense essential oils

• A dispenser for hair extensions in case of cosmic wind damage

“Barbie pees, too, ya know. She just does it in style.”

The Gosling Incident

Otis also managed emergency repairs after what he calls “The Great Ken Collapse.”

“Ryan leaned too hard on a decorative railing during Scene 41. The whole wall fell. He landed in the prop cheese fountain.”

Rather than panic, Otis turned the accident into a scene: Ken crashes through a Martian Dairy Queen and questions his manhood.

“That’s movie magic. That’s construction magic. That’s budget-friendly trauma.”

Barbie’s Office of Dreams

The set he’s most proud of? Barbie’s Mission Control Bedroom — a room that blends interstellar science with childhood nostalgia. Think: lava lamps, control panels made from Lite-Brites, and a diary that launches missiles.

“She writes in cursive, and planets explode. That’s Barbie power.”

Otis built the whole thing in four days using mostly scrap wood, pink vinyl from a failed prom, and optimism.

“The astronauts visited. Said it was ‘the most accurate depiction of feminine space ambition ever put on linoleum.’”

Construction Philosophy

Otis believes in “functional whimsy.”

“If it don’t make you cry or pee a little, it ain’t worth building.”

He keeps a framed photo of his crew standing in front of the Martian Schoolhouse set, each holding a glittered wrench. The caption reads:

“This crew built dreams. Then re-tiled them in glitter grout.”

Local Economy Impact

Otis personally hired 93 locals and spent over $1.3 million in the Wichita Falls area on:

• Sheetrock

• Paint

• Glitter (20 metric tons)

• Brisket

• Industrial-grade glitter filters to prevent clogging local drainage systems

• Emotional support cats (3, rented weekly)

“We tried to source everything local, except for the Barbie-branded fog machine. That came from Germany. Very precise fog.”

Otis also donated scrap lumber to local schools for art projects and one experimental haunted house built entirely by third graders.

“One of those kids glued a toilet to a ceiling. I said, ‘Kid, you’re gonna go far in film.’”

Plans for the Future

Otis has no plans to retire.

“As long as there’s a Barbie to build for, I’ll keep swingin’ the hammer.”

He’s writing a book titled “Measure Twice, Glitter Once: Building for Barbie and Beyond.” Chapter titles include:

• “Framing for Feminism”

• “Load-Bearing Lip Gloss”

• “Kenstructural Engineering”

• “Drywall and Existential Dread”

He’s also lobbying for Wichita Falls to create a “Barbie Film District,” anchored by pink warehouses, an all-female carpentry school, and a drive-in theater shaped like Margot Robbie’s eyelash.

“This town’s got the bones. I just add the sparkles.”

Final Thoughts

As we wrap up the interview, Otis adjusts his tool belt, smears a dab of glitter off his cheek, and surveys his work: a towering Martian Barbie temple constructed entirely out of recycled pink bowling alley floors.

“People ask, ‘What does Barbie stand for?’ I say: structure, baby. And love. And a 4×8 sheet of passion-coated plywood.”

He pauses.

“We didn’t just build a movie set. We built the future of Texas cinema. And Barbie better win an Oscar, or I’m framing the Academy in drywall and calling it performance art.”

Originally posted 2025-06-23 23:32:38.