Thanks to inventor and Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler,Barbiewas born with a monumental purpose.
“Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.”
Since the late 1950s, Barbie has shattered gender roles and encouraged children to dream big.
But there’s one detail about Barbie that Handler didn’t bargain for.
While the prototypical Barbie was ready to take on the world solo, consumers wanted something more traditional.
Thus, influenced by public pressure, Mattel created a boyfriend for Barbie.
Barbie’s purported lover, Ken, has become an icon in his own right.
With his dashing good looks and infinite charms, Ken is the ultimate dream guy doll.
At least, that’s how things appear through Barbie’s stylish rose-colored glasses.
But a fairly curious picture emerges when you wade into the details of Barbie and Ken’s relationship.
Thus, Ruth rejected the customary baby doll and created a full-fledged woman doll.
Everything about Barbie was cutting-edge, from her wardrobe to her career as a fashion model.
The observation helped validate Ruth’s revolutionary idea.
She named the iconic doll “Barbie” in Barbara’s honor.
When Ken came along in 1961, he followed a similar trajectory.
In her autobiography, Barbie creator Ruth Handler revealed that fans sent numerous letters demanding a suitor for Barbie.
The uproar was too loud to be ignored, so Handler delivered.
That kind of creation myth is the opposite of the creation myth in Genesis."
Evidently, Ken proved to be less of a loser than those male figure dolls who came before him.
In 1961, Barbie received her dream guy: a fit, immaculately-groomed stud in tiny red swim trunks.
His full name was Kenneth Sean Carson, and he stood half an inch taller than Barbie.
And from that moment on, he’s been a fixture of the Barbie universe.
Over the years, Mattel has offered at least two different versions of how Barbie met Ken.
The first story came from Ken’s debut commercial, which aired in 1961.
The ad shows Barbie decked out in an elegant, fur-trimmed ballgown.
Then, the glamorous doll turns and sees Ken for the first time.
According toBarbie Media, the fashion dolls actually connected while filming their first commercial together.
The rest, as we know, is history.
In fact, during his development, Ken’s groin was a significant topic of debate at Mattel.
But that was a step too far in the eyes of Mattel executives.
Handler toldBBCin 1997, “It was a conscious decision to make the Ken doll without genitals.
That was a discussion between the designers and me, in which I lost.”
“The reason for their demand was obvious,” Lord wrote.
While many fans have assumed otherwise, Barbie and Ken actually never officially made it down the aisle.
That said, Mattel found ways to meet consumers in the middle regarding their wishes for Barbie.
Rather than give her a baby, the toymakers gave her a gaggle of siblings seven in total.
Mattel also developed several babysitter Barbies, as well as a pediatrician Barbie.
Instead of having Barbie get pregnant, Mattel passed the buck to her friend, Midge.
Midge landed Mattel in immediate hot water with consumers, and she was discontinued within the year.
Could Ken be Barbie’s gay best friend, not her beau?
WhenMargot Robbiespoke withAttitudein 2023, the “Barbie” star offered her thoughts on Ken’s sexuality.
In 2004, Barbie and Ken called off their legendary romance, proving that even plastic hearts can break.
Mattel’s Vice President of Marketing delivered the news.
However, by 2006, Blaine was discontinued, and Ken returned with an updated look.
So there’s a lot of passion there.
They really are the sort of ultimate ‘it’ couple.
So everyone’s rooting for them to get back together."
McKnight revealed that the dolls ultimately realized they were endgame and rekindled their romance in 2011.
Barbie even made things official by changing her Facebook status to “In a relationship.”
Over the years, Barbie has racked up an impressive resume.
Ken holds some impressive job titles, too but he has one distinct specialty: beach bum.
As “Barbie” star Ryan Gosling sees it, Ken struggles with living in Barbie’s bountiful shadow.
He’s going through some stuff," Gosling told Entertainment Tonight (viaCNN).
Sure, his hair went from flocked to plastic to synthetic, but beyond that?
Reworking Ken’s overall look was not exactly the top priority.
In 2017, the Ken line got whatThe Guardiancalled its “biggest aesthetic update since 1961.”
This makeover included new body types, new skin tones, and nine new hairstyles.
In 2021, Mattel introduced a Ken who uses a wheelchair.
The following year, a Ken doll with vitiligo was unveiled.
As Barbie continues to be more inclusive, Ken is now following in her footsteps.
According to senior Barbie designer Robert Best, there’s much more Ken-novation on the way.
“It gives a little girl the ability to dream about her future,” Handler toldLilithin 1994.
“A girl can interpret the adult world around her with this doll as a prop.”
For example, in 1981, Barbie starred in acommercialthat portrayed a toxic relationship dynamic between her and Ken.
One girl says Barbie should change her hair because “Ken likes it straighter.”
