Barbie's Ken: Evolution from classic companion to style icon
When you think of Barbie, it's almost impossible not to picture her equally iconic counterpart, Ken. Ken has had a remarkable metamorphosis over time, reflecting shifting cultural upheavals, fashion fads, and societal standards. The doll has now become the talk of the town with the release of the new Barbie movie. Join us as we explore the amazing journey of Barbie's plastic partner Ken.
Ken's introduction
In March 1961, two years after Mattel produced the first Barbie doll, Kenneth Sean Carson aka Ken appeared on shop shelves. Ruth Handler, the creator of the eponymous fashion doll, invented Ken as a male counterpart and friend for Barbie in response to complaints about Barbie's solitary status in letters to Mattel. His initial appearance was in very short red swim trunks.
Getting trendy over the years
Writer MG Lord, in her book Barbie: the Unauthorised Biography of a Real Doll stated that Mattel sales were at over 100 million dollars by 1965. Between 1966 and 1969 Ken briefly disappeared because he was not pulling in those figures. Mattel then introduced newer and trendier versions of Ken between the 1970s and 1990s. The company experimented with Ken's looks over the years.
Ken and his different occupations
Ken has evolved over the years in line with how Barbie has, as have the conversations that surround dolls. Mattel has been spreading about Barbie and Ken's relationship through its advertisements, video games, novels, and advertising campaigns. Ken has held nearly forty jobs in his sixty-two years: astronaut, hamburger chef, country western singer, and lifeguard, to name a few.
The infamous Barbie-Ken split
The year 2004 saw the split of Ken and Barbie following the decline in Barbie sales. Two years after the split, Mattel introduced a "new and improved" Ken doll. The intention was to make Ken a hot figure. The new Ken came with cargo pants, a leather jacket, and bulky chain necklaces. The Barbie couple reunited in 2010 for the movie Toy Story 3.
Reintroduction of Ken
As Ken turned 50 in 2011, Mattel put up billboards expressing his love for Barbie in the hopes of a return to the Barbie universe. In 2017, Mattel released a new range of Ken dolls in 15 various designs, with body types that included thin, unique, and broad as well as seven different skin tones, eight different hair colors, and nine different hairstyles.
Meet the new era Ken
The representation of Ken took a fresh route when Warner Bros. Pictures roped in Ryan Gosling to play Ken in the Barbie movie. The actor took advantage of the promotion platforms to spread the "Ken-energy" everywhere, promoting the doll/character further. Upon the release of the movie, Gosling was widely appreciated for his portrayal of Ken in the movie.
