Buyers were angry: How Ken appeared in Barbie’s life – untold pages of a cult love story

It seems to us that Ken has always been Barbie’s companion, but in fact this is not entirely true. The dolls did not appear on the market at the same time. In 1959, the first Barbie was released, but her boyfriend did not appear until two years later. And it happened under public pressure. Buyers bombarded the letter maker. “Why is Barbie single? they fumed. Doll inventor Ruth Handler recalled that Mattel began receiving “hundreds of letters from little girls begging for a Barbie boyfriend.”

At that time, the image of a single woman in the public eye really looked like a challenge. In the 1950s, society was extremely conservative and patriarchal, so even toys had to take into account the image of the family. And even the doll had to have a man nearby. This emphasized that the main goal of the girl is to grow up and become a good wife.

As of today, the situation appears twofold: on the one hand, it results from the fact that the patriarchy has decided how a woman’s life should develop, on the other hand, Ken only exists because Barbie exists.

“Barbie was invented first. Ken was invented after Barbie to improve her standing in our eyes. This creation myth is the opposite of the creation myth in Genesis,” commented Barbie director Greta Gerwig. , on this paradox.

So how did the relationship between the world’s most famous dolls develop?

Before a boyfriend appeared in Barbie’s life, she was already an accomplished person. So, in 1960, that is, a year before the appearance of Ken, the first “working” Barbie appeared on the market – she was a fashion designer.

The official birthday of the doll is March 9, 1959. The exact date of Ken’s appearance is also known – March 11, 1961. The boyfriend doll got its name in honor of the son of the inventor of Barbie Ruth Handler and her husband Elliot. Well, Barbie herself, as you know, was named after their daughter.

According to Mattel’s official story, Ken Carson met Barbie on the set of their first TV commercial together and it was love at first sight. Ken completed the Barbie beach bow (recall that the first doll came out in a bathing suit) and appeared before the audience in a red bathing suit. By the way, two versions entered the market at once – a brunette and a blonde, both with blue eyes.

During the first years of the relationship, Barbie continued to successfully combine her personal life and career: she was a professional ballerina, flight attendant, registered nurse and singer.

The period of the candy bouquet in the life of the couple lasted quite a long time. Ken and Barbie did not meet until 1974. It was then that the first Mattel dollhouse appeared on the market. Barbie and Ken’s first house together was a three-story townhouse with bright decor, an elevator, and a hot tub. A large number of props have not yet been provided, and the whole situation has been painted on the walls of the house. But here the elevator was real and could move – such a feature, of course, overshadowed the “flaws” of the design.

But in 1998, Barbie and Ken got a more luxurious house, already similar to the princess’s palace. Victorian style, turrets, balcony and, of course, pink furniture – you can live your best life on these square meters.

Although Barbie and Ken appeared in images of the newlyweds several times, they weren’t officially married. Since Barbie was originally a model, trying on different outfits was her job. Well, Mattel has given its customers the right to create whatever game scenarios they want.

The officially married couple in the Mattel universe were Midge, Barbie’s best friend, who appeared in 1963, and her chosen one Alan, who in turn is Ken’s best friend.

Together, Barbie and Ken lived for over 40 years and seemed like the perfect couple, but on Valentine’s Day in 2004, Mattel made an unexpected announcement: the crowd favorites are no longer together.

Russell Arons, vice president of marketing at Mattel, said Barbie and Ken “feel like it’s time to hang out together.”

“Like other famous couples, their Hollywood romance is over,” Arons said, adding that the duo will “remain friends.”

A company spokesperson also hinted that the breakup may be due in part to Ken’s reluctance to marry.

In the press, this was seen as an attempt to revive Barbie’s image and make her attractive again in the context of the extravagant Bratz dolls that are gaining popularity, but the public did not take the news with enthusiasm. However, in the life of Barbie herself that year, another large-scale event drowned out the heartache: she became a presidential candidate for the first time.

After breaking up with Ken, Barbie began dating Australian surfer Blaine. Then the California version of the doll just came out. To better reflect her new single status, Barbie dressed in shorts and a bikini top, completing the look with metal hoop earrings and a tan. So with Blaine, she was a harmonious couple, but not for long.

It took Ken seven years to get Barbie back. On Valentine’s Day 2011, the legendary couple reunited. No one knows how much it cost Barbie’s boyfriend, but according to Mattel, the courtship strategy included sets of cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery and billboards on which Ken left love messages for Barbie.

In general, in the end, Barbie forgave him, and since then they have remained a couple in love. Perhaps feelings flared up between them again on set: in 2010, Barbie and Ken appeared in the animated film Toy Story 3.

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