Barbie’s boyfriend Ken evolves
Barbie’s boyfriend evolves with cornrows, man buns and dad bod
KEN was in a rut.
While Barbie had a makeover last year and emerged with a variety of skin tones and body types, Ken remained pretty much the buff boyfriend with the plastic side part that hit the scene in 1961.
Until this week. Mattel unveiled a new Ken doll in 15 different styles — seven skin tones, three body shapes and a variety of hair styles.
There’s Ken with a man bun, Ken with cornrows, Ken with cool glasses, Ken as a bleach-blonde surfer, Ken with olive skin, and even Ken with a hipster pompadour.
He comes in three body shapes: “original” (which basically means buff),“slim,” and “broad” (some are calling him dadbod Ken).
His style has changed, too. He sports everything from skinny ties and plaid shirts to hoodies and graphic tees.
Five of the dolls are being rolled out this week, and the entire collection will be in stores for the holidays.
“We are redefining what a Barbie or Ken doll looks like to this generation,” said Mattel’s Lisa McKnight, who oversees the Barbie line.
Last year, Mattel announced on Twitter a new collection of Barbie body types — tall, petite, curvy and regular — along with seven new skin tones and 22 eye colors. They tagged it #TheDollEvolves.
The makeovers are part of the toy company’s plan to make its
dolls more appealing to today’s kids. But they come after years of falling sales. Barbie sales were down 13 percent during the first quarter of 2017, when compared with the same period last year.
The company is planning a liveaction Barbie movie next year with hopes that the big-screen promo will boost doll sales.
Mattel also announced some new Barbie looks this week — including one with a shaved head and another with an Afro.
Houston event planner Taylor Ballard thinks reimagining Barbie and Ken will help expand the nation’s definition of beauty.
The 25-year-old has amassed a collection of more than 300 black Barbies since she started the hobby as student at University of Houston in 2010. She has even had to move to a larger apartment to house her dolls.
Now Amazon, Target and online sites have helped make the dolls more accessible.
“I think Barbie is a national standard of beauty,” Ballard said. “To have dolls that look similar to you is really important in this world of social media and body shaming. It’s nice when there’s a toy in place that celebrates who you are.”
When Ballard was a child, her mother would have to travel to three or four stores to find a black Holiday Barbie. The dolls were in limited supply.
She will join collectors from around country at the National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention at Hyatt Regency Downtown Houston July 19-22; she’s the promotions chair.
Ballard thinks the new, improved Ken doll will be well received.
“I think they are really cute,” she said. “Just as it’s important for girls to have dolls that look like them, I think boys need that too. It’s celebrating who you are, if boy or girl or an adult.”