How Barbie's friend Ken has changed over the years: evolution from classic boyfriend to style icon

When we talk about Barbie, we must mention her boyfriend Ken. He is no less an iconic character who has had a powerful influence on mass culture, the fashion industry, toy production, and more.

SSPDaily writes: "Over time, Ken has undergone amazing metamorphoses reflecting cultural upheavals, fashion fads, and societal standards. And now, after the release of the movie Barbie, the doll is back at the peak of popularity. However, this is a different Ken, which is very different from the first models of the last century."

Join us to learn how Barbie's partner has changed from the 1960s to the present day.

The birth of Ken

In March 1961, two years after Mattel released the first Barbie doll, Kenneth Sean Carson, nicknamed Ken, appeared on store shelves.

Ruth Handler, the creator of the fashion doll of the same name, invented Ken as a male counterpart and friend for Barbie, in response to complaints about Barbie's loneliness, in letters to Mattel.

He first appeared in public wearing very short red swimming trunks.

Years of fame and oblivion

Writer MG Lord in her book Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll claims that by 1965, Mattel's sales amounted to more than $100 million.

But already in 1966, the doll was temporarily discontinued, as buyers lost interest in it. Ken was reborn in 1969, and since then Mattel has regularly released new, more fashionable versions of him.

All of Ken's professions

Over the years, Ken evolved, as did Barbie and the story of their relationship. Mattel disseminated information about this through its commercials, booklets, and video games.

Over the course of his sixty-two years, Ken managed to "master" almost forty specialties. He was an astronaut, a chef, a country-western singer, a lifeguard, and many more.

How Barbie broke up with Ken

In 2004, after a drop in Barbie sales, it was decided to "split" their stories. And two years later, Mattel presented an "improved" version of Ken the Loner. This time, he appeared as a "bad" guy dressed in cargo pants, a leather jacket, and a bulky chain necklace.

However, in 2010 the couple reunited for the movie Toy Story 3.

Ken's reincarnations

In 2011, when Ken turned 50, Mattel placed billboards with his declaration of love for Barbie, hoping to rekindle consumer interest in this iconic couple.

A few years later (in 2017), Ken appeared on store shelves in 15 different designs. These were dolls of different builds - thin, regular, full, with seven different skin tones, eight hair colors, and nine types of hairstyles.

New Ken

The campaign to promote Ken's image received a new impetus when Warner Bros. Pictures invited Ryan Gosling to play Ken in the Barbie movie.

The actor took advantage of promotional platforms to spread the "Ken-energy" by promoting his character everywhere.

The result: The Barbie movie turned out to be a commercial success, making Gosling a top actor, and raising Ken to another peak of popularity, where he is now.