1993 gay ken doll

The doll was called Earring Magic Ken, which is the absolute best name for an accidentally gay doll.

How Barbie's Boyfriend Ken Became an Accidental Gay Icon

So they went out looking for what was cool and as it happened the queer fashion worming its way into the mainstream was what they picked up as cool. Earring Magic Ken After reaching out to their audience of young children Mattel learned they would like a new Ken doll to be cooler and more hip.

The Melbourne Age reported in that Barbie’s boyfriend: “has finally come out of the closet.” After surveys revealed girls found Ken somewhat dated, Mattel tried to make him ‘cool’. They succeeded so well that the doll officially called Earring Magic Ken was more popularly known as Gay Ken.

“The newest Ken Doll – Earring Magic Ken – is dressed in a purple nylon vest and. The year is Barbie is cool as shit, but her boyfriend Ken not so much. We do. Columnist Dan Savage wrote an article in , the year the doll came out, detailing a really excellent explanation of what was going on.

Remember when Mattel accidentally made a super gay Ken doll? The case of Earring Magic Ken shows how marketing and focus groups can inadvertently create a kitsch classic. The Tumblr post does admittedly have some misinformation attached to it. And queer people made him the best selling Ken doll, ever.

And he is every ’90s queer stereotype in a chiseled hunk of plastic. Disregarding the fact, that I still have several Barbies from when I was a young lass. For instance, have you heard of Earring Magic Ken? He’s the first (unintentionally) gay-coded Barbie doll created by Mattel in And he is every ’90s queer stereotype in a chiseled hunk of plastic.

Like Loading Published by Thomas G. Leave a comment Cancel reply. And moreover why is that relevant to your blog? Mattel found this out the hard way. [2][3] The doll is notable for inspiring a toy craze among gay men (including some claims that it was the highest selling Ken doll of all time) and for the controversy.

Way less outfits, way less adventures, and with cool dudes like G.I. Joe and the New Kids. Ohio based rhetorician and queer historian. View all posts by Thomas G. Skip to content. After reaching out to their audience of young children Mattel learned they would like a new Ken doll to be cooler and more hip.

As always, if you enjoy my content, please considering buying be a Kofi or supporting me on Patreon. Way less outfits, way less adventures, and with cool dudes like G.I. Joe and the New Kids. Mattel found this out the hard way. We do. A post which currently has over , notes.

Earring Magic Ken, also known as " Gay Ken " and " Fey Ken ", [1] is a model of the Ken doll introduced by Mattel in as a companion to its Earring Magic Barbie figure, one of five dolls in the Earring Magic Barbie line. Last month, after a week of bidding I acquired one Earring Magic Ken doll.

The doll was called Earring Magic Ken, which is the absolute best name for an accidentally gay doll. And queer people made him the best selling Ken doll, ever. The case of Earring Magic Ken shows how marketing and focus groups can inadvertently create a kitsch classic.

Thomas you are an adult, why on earth are you buying a Ken doll? Earring Magic Ken is special, because he was inadvertently designed off of queer rave fashion of the early s. Remember when Mattel accidentally made a super gay Ken doll? Earring Magic Ken, also known as " Gay Ken " and " Fey Ken ", [1] is a model of the Ken doll introduced by Mattel in as a companion to its Earring Magic Barbie figure, one of five dolls in the Earring Magic Barbie line.

[2][3] The doll is notable for inspiring a toy craze among gay men (including some claims that it was the highest selling Ken doll of all time) and for the controversy. The year is Barbie is cool as shit, but her boyfriend Ken not so much. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.

I know what you might be thinking. I would highly recommend it as reading for anyone interested in learning more. Below, I have linked two different iterations of the Tumblr post, as well as a link to the Dan Savage article, the Bryan Young article and a few others. As a result, fascinating tidbits like Earring Magic Ken are resurfacing.