Margot Robbie has her real-life Ken by her side.Tom Ackerley is his name and, nearly seven years ago, the world learned he had become the two-time Oscar nominee's permanent other half when news broke that the two had secretly said "I do" in the bride's native Australia.
But the real-life Barbie and Ken were never a couple. The plastic dolls were actually named for a sister and brother – the children of Mattel cofounder and Barbie creator Ruth Handler.
However, their relationship goes through a rocky spell in the movie when a visit to 'human world' turns into a journey of self-discovery for the dynamic duo. Like many couples, Barbie and Ken chose not to get married. They have no children and Barbie is the sole owner of the Dreamhouse.
Technically, Ken has no official age (he is a doll, after all) although he was first introduced as Barbie's boyfriend on March 11, 1961, which means he has been around for 62 years. (Barbie was created in 1959, which would make her 64.)
Although the doll was part of a 'Happy Family' line of dolls, there was backlash at the time for endorsing 'teenage pregnancy', so the road towards endorsing a liberating world through Barbie dolls has admittedly not always been smooth. Regardless, for Ruth the idea was to keep Barbie single and child free.
Barbie, the famous fashion doll, felt that this night was special. And then it happened: she met Ken and somehow she knew that and Ken and her would be going together. So now Mattel brings you Ken, Barbie's boyfriend.”
“Pregnant Barbie” is actually Margaret Hadley Sherwood, or Midge, as her friends call her. Midge was created to be a less glam, more relatable Barbie, per Buzzfeed News. The doll was launched in 1963 as Barbie's bestie. She had freckles and red hair, and she wore less makeup than Barbie did.
Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts and her parents' names are given as George and Margaret Roberts from the fictional town of Willows, Wisconsin, in a series of novels published by Random House in the 1960s.
While some on social are wondering how Barbie snagged a girlfriend before them, or when exactly she came out, Aimee Song weighed in to make the relationship Twitter-official.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling say their characters don't kiss in "Barbie" because it wouldn't have made sense logistically. The Ken actor said in a recent joint interview with the Barbie actor that kissing was in the initial plans, but didn't make the final cut.
Today, the doll itself is 64 years old; in 2023, Barbie would technically be 83 years old if she aged. However, toy company Mattel has said that she's perpetually frozen in time at the age of 19. Despite her ageless appearance, Barbie holds a wide array of adult careers.
Barbie and Ken felt it was “time to spend some quality time apart” with Arons hinting that Ken's reluctance to put a ring on it may have played a part in their breakup. Still, the two swore the breakup was amicable and they would remain friends.
1961: First introduced at the American International Toy Fair as Barbie doll's boyfriend on March 11, 1961 Ken doll was 12 inches tall, had “molded” plastic hair (blond and brunette) and came dressed in red bathing suit trunks with a yellow towel and sandals.
Brad (1970): This African American male doll was available in two versions: Talking Brad and Brad with Bendable Legs. He was made from an all-new face sculpt that is known as the Brad face sculpt. The Brad character was introduced as a boyfriend for the Christie character.
Breakup that rocked the world: Ken and Barbie shocked their fans -- and the world -- when the doll world's "golden couple" went splitsville in 2004. The couples' romance began 50 years ago when they met on the set of their first television commercial together in 1961.
Malibu Ken, the first African-American Ken doll, came along in 1982. Growing up, my parents didn't buy me Barbie dolls because they didn't look like me.
Ken's job in the Barbie movie is "beach," which makes him feel purposeless compared to the empowered Barbies who can be anything they want. In real life, Ken has had over 40 different jobs, including country western singer and surgeon, but still lacks a defined identity.
With the aim to produce more female-driven projects, Robbie and her future husband, Tom Ackerley, and their respective longtime friends Sophia Kerr and Josey McNamara, started their own production company LuckyChap Entertainment. The company was founded in 2014 and its name was inspired by Charlie Chaplin.
How Much Was Margot Robbie Paid For The Barbie Movie - IMDb. Margot Robbie's salary for the Barbie movie was reported to be $12.5 million, matching Ryan Gosling's pay to play Ken. Robbie's involvement in making the Barbie movie happen, along with her star power, explains her high salary.
While on screen Robbie uses an American accent, in real life, she hails from from Dalby in Queensland, Australia, and has been using her own accent while doing press promotion.
