Ken (doll)

Ken is a fashion doll and fictional character introduced by Mattel in 1961 as the counterpart of Barbie, who was introduced two years earlier. Similar to his female counterpart, Ken has a fashionable line of clothing and accessories (although he made his debut wearing only a swim suit). In the Barbie mythos, Ken met Barbie on the set of a TV commercial. He is Barbie’s boyfriend, as it is written on every box produced since 1961. Since his debut, Ken has held at over 40 occupations. He was invented by Elliot Handler. == Overview == From 1961 to the debut of Superstar Ken in 1977, Ken had straight, nonbendable arms and a head that could only turn left and right. Ken's hair was made of felt in his first year (known to collectors as the "flocked" hair Ken), but this was replaced with a plastic, molded hairstyle when the felt hair was found to fall off when wet. Superstar Ken featured a dimpled smile, a head that could swivel, bent arms, a more muscular physique, jewelry, and underwear permanently molded to his body. The woman who made the Ken doll made it to resemble her husband.