What do you know about Ken,
Barbie's boyfriend? His name is Ken Carson, and he has been Barbie's loyal
boyfriend for over forty years.
Ken is actually two
years younger than Barbie. Ken was born on March 13 1961 and Barbie was
born on January 21, 1959.Ken was introduced in the Mattel Catalogue in
1961 - it said "Here he is...the Boyfriend for Barbie the Teen-Age Fashion
Model. All Barbie fans will want Ken and his smartly-tailored wardrobe of finest
quality materials for perfect fit and finish...with miniature accessories...plus
a special arm tag identity for the only genuine Ken Doll."
Throughout the years, Ken has
been dressed for nearly every occasion. In the first year Ken's wardrobe was
fairly sparse. His outfits included a sweater outfit called "Campus
Here". pajamas, and a tuxedo. He was depicted as the typical boy next door
in those early days.The first Ken doll was dressed in red swim trunks, cork
sandals and a yellow towel. The first Ken had flocked hair that easily rubbed
off in water. In 1962, he received more practical molded hair and a red and
white striped robe.
After his initial introduction in
the 1960's Ken doll, developed as did the Barbie doll.By
1965, Ken doll had bendable legs and by the end of the 1960s, Ken
was able to talk.
In the 1970s, Ken began his
journey to "find himself." Malibu Ken was a sun tanned sun lover. Then
came Ken's 'hippy phase with the 'Now Look Ken' produced in 1975, where his hair
was below his shoulders.
At the end of the 70s, Ken
was back to sun tanning (Hawaiian Ken) and shaving (Sport & Shave Ken). In
the 1980s, Ken was enjoying the disco era with elaborate outfits. For
example, "Jewel Secrets Ken" (1986) was dressed in a light blue
silver lame jumpsuit with a striped shirt and an iridescent bow tie and
cummerbund, and in 1988 "Super Star Ken" had a silver suit complete
with a baby pink bow tie as well as cummerbund.
Ken doll, however, grew out of
his party days by the 1990's. In 1993, for example, Ken wore denim and a
checked flannel shirt for "Camp Fun Ken" and launched into a series of
careers and hobbies. His hobbies have included skiing, disco, scuba
diving, hunting, camping, roller blading, baseball and roller skating.'Winter
Sports Ken' (1994) had a body that could be posed in many positions, and came
with his own skis and snowboard. As for his careers, Ken has tried many
occupations. He has been a cowboy, actor, doctor, pilot, and astronaut just to
name a few! In 2001,Ken starred as the Nutcracker/Prince in "The
Nutcracker" ballet, and from then went on to play many other roles,as
either a career or hobby,
Mattel produced commemorative
Barbie and Ken dolls to celebrate their four decades. Ken 40th Birthday
doll was dressed in a tuxedo and came with a miniature Ken replica of the very
first Ken. Just as two years previously.
The Ken doll was the first doll produced which set the tone for a number of dolls to create a collection of
Barbie friends and family. Ken , having been part of Barbie's scene almost from
the beginning has become an integral part of Barbie doll collections.
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