1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: show for those interested in the big and small moments 4 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: of history. I'm Gay Bluesier, and in this episode, we're 5 00:00:18,160 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: looking at the history of what might be the second 6 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 1: most famous doll in the world, from his role as 7 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:28,319 Speaker 1: Barbie's perpetual boyfriend to his recent star turn as the 8 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: poster boy of the Patriarchy. The day was March eleventh, 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty one. Mattel introduced the Ken doll at the 10 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: International Toy Fair in New York City. Ken, short for 11 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,239 Speaker 1: Kenneth Carson, was designed as the male counterpart to the 12 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: popular Barbie doll, which Mattel had released just two years earlier. 13 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: The twelve inch Ken doll was sculpted with an athletic 14 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: physique and was available in two styles, one with blonde 15 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: molded plastic hair and one with brown. Both styles of 16 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:08,760 Speaker 1: Ken had the same tan Caucasian skin tone, and both 17 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: came dressed in a very short pair of red fabric 18 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:16,039 Speaker 1: swim trunks with a yellow towel and sandals. Before we 19 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: go any further, I have to note that the exact 20 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: date of Ken's introduction is a matter of some debate 21 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: among collectors. The nineteen sixty one toy fair didn't officially 22 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: open until March thirteenth, but it's believe that Mattel first 23 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 1: showed off the Ken doll two days earlier at a 24 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:38,200 Speaker 1: special press preview. For that reason, the company itself considers 25 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,119 Speaker 1: March eleventh to be Ken's official birthday, but many die 26 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: hard fans regard March thirteenth as the one true Ken Day. 27 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: Regardless of where you fall on the matter, we can 28 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: all agree that Ken hits stores later that month for 29 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: the suggested retail price of three dollars and fifty cents. 30 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: He was created at the behest of consumers, humors who 31 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 1: frequently wrote to Mattel insisting that Barbie needed a boyfriend. 32 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: The creator of Barbie, Ruth Handler, happily obliged, and even 33 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: named the nowdall after her son, Kenneth Handler. It was 34 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:17,720 Speaker 1: a somewhat bizarre tribute, though, considering that Barbie's namesake was 35 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: Ruth's daughter Barbara, which means the plastic couple was based 36 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: on real life siblings. Ruth worked with Mattel designers Jack 37 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: Ryan and Charlotte Johnson to perfect Ken's boy next door appearance. 38 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: They made him half an inch taller than a standard Barbie, 39 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: and though Ruth pushed to make him anatomically correct unlike Barbie, 40 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 1: Mattel shot down the idea, much to Ken's eternal embarrassment. 41 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:47,399 Speaker 1: According to company lore, Ken and Barbie first met while 42 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: shooting their first commercial in nineteen sixty one. The black 43 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: and white TV spot shows the pair meeting at a 44 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:59,399 Speaker 1: formal dance, presumably held in their canonical home town of Willows, Wisconsin. 45 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: The ad implies that Barbie and Ken were faded to 46 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 1: get together, and even ends with the suggestion that their 47 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 1: romance may lead all the way to the altar. Take 48 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: a listen. 49 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 2: It all started at a dance. Barbie, the famous teenage 50 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 2: fashion model doll by Mattel, felt that this was to 51 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 2: be a special night, And then it happened she met Ken, 52 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 2: and somehow she knew that she and Ken would be 53 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 2: going together. So now Mattel brings you Ken Barbie's boyfriends 54 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 2: with a complete wardrobe of perfectly tailored clothes of unmatched quality. 55 00:03:36,120 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 2: Now can and Barbie meet for lunch at school, go 56 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 2: to fraternity parties and just relax together. Think of the 57 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 2: fun You'll have taking Barbie and Ken on dates, Dressing 58 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 2: each one just right, You'll find Ken wherever toys are sold. 59 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: The commercial shows Ken modeling a wide variety of outfits, 60 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: all of which were sold separately, before cutting to him 61 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: and his standard beach look. Fans of Greta Gerwig's twenty 62 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: twenty three Barbie movie may remember that beach was the 63 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: defining characteristic and vaguely worded job description of Ryan Gosling's 64 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: version of Ken, and positioning beach Ken as the primary 65 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: Ken makes a lot of sense. The original doll sported 66 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: a beach look, and in the decades since, more than 67 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: a dozen different beach bum designs have been released, making 68 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 1: it the character's most repeated profession by far. Luckily for Ken, 69 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 1: his resume also includes a host of other jobs besides beach, 70 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:41,839 Speaker 1: more than forty in fact, and just like Barbie, Ken's 71 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:47,600 Speaker 1: dabbled in some pretty diverse careers, including stints as an astronaut, chef, firefighter, 72 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,480 Speaker 1: country western singer, and more recently as a barista. Oh 73 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,039 Speaker 1: and in nineteen seventy five he apparently won Olympic gold 74 00:04:56,120 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: medals in both swimming and skiing. Significantly, Ken also followed 75 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: Barbie's lead by becoming a more inclusive character. In nineteen 76 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: eighty two, the first African American Ken doll was introduced 77 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: Sunsational Malibu Ken. The toy featured a unique head sculpt 78 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:18,480 Speaker 1: and an Afro hairstyle made from real rooted hair instead 79 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 1: of plastic. Other skin tones, eye colors, and body types 80 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 1: have been gradually added over the years, making Ken dolls 81 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: a better reflection of real world people rather than just 82 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: our clothes and careers. Still, no matter his appearance or occupation, 83 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: Ken has never been all that popular among Barbie fans 84 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:43,799 Speaker 1: or collectors. Some kids and adults are exceptions, to be sure, 85 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: but for the most part, people don't play with just 86 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: a Ken doll. You buy Ken to go with your Barbie, 87 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: and for that reason, he's always been viewed as more 88 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:58,040 Speaker 1: of an accessory than a standalone figure. That cultural perception 89 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:02,040 Speaker 1: of Ken as inessential in subordinate to Barbie has even 90 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: played out in Mattel's marketing. In two thousand and four, 91 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: it was announced that Barbie and Ken had called it 92 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: quits after forty three years of dating. The breakup was 93 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: reportedly Barbie's decision, and while some fans were heartbroken, to 94 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: hear the news. Many others thought it was a healthy 95 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: acknowledgment that not every romance has to last forever. Furthering 96 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: that idea, Barbie was allowed to move on, and there 97 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 1: was even an official contest where fans got to choose 98 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: her next bow. The eventual winner was an Australian surfer 99 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: doll named Blaine. Ken, on the other hand, was shown 100 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: to still be pining for Barbie. In two thousand and six, 101 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: the doll was given a makeover, purportedly in an effort 102 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: to win her back. The plan apparently failed, though, because 103 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,440 Speaker 1: in twenty eleven, billboards began appearing in New York and 104 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: Los Angeles bearing messages from Ken pleading for Barbie to 105 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: take him back. One of them read, Barbie, we may 106 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: be plastic, but our love is real. Although desperate and 107 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,239 Speaker 1: a little bit creepy, Ken's groveling seemed to do the trick. 108 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: Later that same month, on Valentine's Day, Mattel announced that 109 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: Barbie and Ken were back together, conveniently just in time 110 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: for the couple's fiftieth anniversary. Ken's clinging nature has also 111 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 1: informed the character's big screen appearances in both the live 112 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: action Barbie movie and in Toy Story three, Ken is 113 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: defined almost entirely by his relationship, or lack thereof, to Barbie. 114 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: Of course, in Greta Gerwigg's Barbie, Ken also embarks on 115 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: a journey of self discovery, and by the end of 116 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,480 Speaker 1: the film he's a much more content and independent character 117 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: than he was at the beginning. It's unclear if that 118 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 1: newfound agency will be carried forward in other incarnations of 119 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: the character, or if Ken will eventually go back to 120 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: just being Barbie's biable boyfriend. But at least for one 121 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:03,880 Speaker 1: brief moment, Ken got to be seen as something more 122 00:08:03,960 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 1: than a mere accessory. No longer defined by his romantic 123 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: tie to Barbie, he was just Ken, and that was enough. 124 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lucia, and hopefully you now know a little 125 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:22,040 Speaker 1: more about history today than he did yesterday. Consider keeping 126 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: up with the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, where 127 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:29,440 Speaker 1: you can find us at TDI HC Show. You can 128 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,680 Speaker 1: also rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, or 129 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: you can get in touch directly by writing to this 130 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to kas b Bias 131 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: for producing the show, and thank you for listening. I'll 132 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: see you back here again tomorrow for another day in 133 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: history class.