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When Barbie was unveiled in the world by the inventor and co-founder of Mattel, Ruth, his goal was clear. Barbie was not only designed to be a doll; Instead, it has always been a symbol of the independence and empowerment of women. According to the Toyaker, Barbie's philosophy was intended to help little girls believe that they could be whatever they wanted. Since its creation in the 1950s, Barbie has broken the roles of gender and has helped little girls to dream bigger. However, Ken has never been supposed to be in the photo. Consumers wanted a more traditional product, so Barbie's boyfriend was created due to public pressure.

Involuntarily, Ken became an icon overnight. He was beautiful and charming. Combined with Barbie, the two made a sacred torque of power. Now, after the release of Greta Gerwig's successful "Barbie" film "Barbie", there are more spotlights on the most fascinating (and strange) facts on Barbie and Ken's relationship.

They were designed after real brothers and sisters

Curiously, Barbie and Ken were appointed according to the founder's children: Barbara and Kenneth. She did it in tribute when she noticed that her daughter was no longer interested in playing with baby dolls and rather expressed her interest in paper dolls. Since her daughter inspired the idea of the woman's peak doll, it is logical that she honors her, but it is a little weird that the dolls marketed as a couple are in fact brother and sister in reality.

Ken was created because of angry consumers

Although Barbie was originally designed to symbolize the power of girls and be completely self -sufficient, consumers did not like the idea of a doll that was a single woman. No matter the number of fashion looks she served, the public thought that a man on his arm was the most important accessory. Although Ken's production was a risk for Mattel, because male dolls were not traditionally bestsellers, Barbie’s Dream Guy was released in 1961 and was a must in Barbie Land since.

There are versions of the Ken and Barbie meeting this conflict

According to the first advertisement Barbie, Ken and Barbie met during a dance, where she saw Ken in "perfectly tailor -made clothes" for the first time. However, Mattel later said that the dolls met during the shooting of their first advertisement! Although this explanation is more meta, what we know is that these two have known each other since 1961, and they fell in love immediately.

They have never really consumed the relationship

At one point, couples must go down and dirty. It’s a natural part of love. However, because they were not designed with intimate parts. Mattel leaders had contradictory opinions on this subject - while Handler wanted him to have a small suggestive bump in the region, high -ups in the company did not agree. Over time, he has developed a bump, but according to the film by Gerwig, Barbie and Ken have no idea what sex is, so it should not exist!

Barbie and Ken never married or have had children

Although it looks like a perfect fairy tale from the outside, these two have never descended the aisle or had children, and all thanks to Ruth Handler. While the public tried to domesticate Barbie as much as they could because of the expectations of women in society, it was intended to be a symbol of choice for children, and therefore being a housewife was only An option at their disposal.

Handler wanted young girls to feel that they had as many options as possible, therefore rather than developing his own babies, they gave him seven brothers and sisters as well as some baby-sitter barbies. In 2002, a pregnant fly doll with a removable pregnant belly (an infant was revealed below) was developed, but it was very controversial and was interrupted in less than a year.

Ken is Barbie's best gay friend rather than her partner?

We have already discussed if the two are brothers and sisters, but this twist of the plot would be quite surprising given the heteronormative history associated with dolls. However, an Easter egg in "Toy Story 3" shows Ken like a platonic friend of Barbie who is obsessed with fashion, and we cannot forget the Ken magic earring, which represents the queer counter-culture, bearing A fillet shirt and a suggestive ring- like a necklace. The doll has been interrupted due to the controversy, but it is still extremely popular and has an inheritance.

Barbie and Ken have broken dramatically

Not all unions are supposed to be eternal, and in 2004, Mattels VP of Marketing published a statement saying that "like other celebrities couples, their Hollywood romance has ended". Barbie continued with an Australian doll named Blaine, who appreciated Boogie Boarding as a hobby. Unfortunately, Blaine was abandoned in 2006, and Ken was reissued with a new look in order to win back Barbie. This happened because many Barbie fans were unhappy with the break of the "IT" couple and wanted them to be the end of the game. In 2011, they recovered together.

Barbie's ambitions are more impressive than those of Ken

Barbie has a ton of emblematic careers, inspiring women to have greater economic opportunities. The entire CV of Barbie Line is impressive and includes jobs like the veterinarian, the astronaut and the surgeon. On the other hand, Ken had some careers but was above all a beach tramp. While Barbie has many assets such as boats, cars and Dreamhouse, Ken will always live in his shadow because his daughter has always been the support of the family.

The Ken and Barbie relationship was used for problematic concepts on gender

In reality, these are just dolls! But they also symbolize much more, and although the original intentions of Ruth Handler are good, Barbie was used as a pawn to represent overwhelming gender stereotypes. In an advertisement in the 80s, an ad showed two girls playing with Magic Curl Barbie, a curly hair doll that could have stiff hair with a unique style product. One of the girls said Barbie should change her style because Ken prefers it directly, and when her friend says Barbie prefers her loop locks instead, the other replies that Barbie should make Ken a sandwich! Not very stimulating.

Although there have been advantages and disadvantages of this doll (especially with regard to Ken), it has made many children more independent and represented over the years, and it is not a bad heritage to let behind.