Meet Blaine, the Aussie boogie boarder Barbie dumped Ken for back in 2004. “BARBIE DUMPS KEN FOR AN AUSSIE,” shouts a 2004 headline from The Sydney Morning Herald.
Kenneth Sean "Ken" Carson (1961–1967, 1969–present): Barbie's male counterpart and former boyfriend as well as the second character added to the line. Mattel announced a split between him and Barbie in 2004 and a reunion on Valentine's Day in 2011.
Barbie went on to date a hip-hop-loving Australian boogie boarder named Blaine. Two years after calling it quits, Ken attempted to win Barbie back by getting a makeover.
Just as Barbie, Ken has transformed over the decades with as the conversations surrounding the dolls change. The narratives circulated by Mattel around Barbie and Ken's relationship, also reflect, to an extent, the changing American pop-culture. “She's everything. He's just Ken.”
Barbie's Boyfriend vs Wednesday's Boyfriend in a Tiny House!
Who was the pregnant Barbie?
“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.
Apparently, Barbie will never get married. According to the wishes of Barbie creator Ruth Handler, part of Barbie's appeal to young children was that she defied patriarchal norms, and would never walk down the aisle toward Ken or have children. I'm sorry to say, Ruth, but that wasn't how we played it.
Raquelle Sherwood is a main character and occasional antagonist in Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse. She lives in the Raquelle Mansion. Raquelle is constantly trying to prove to Ken that she is better than her enemy Barbie to win him over.
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.
Sugar Daddy Ken is a satirical knock-off doll that made a hilarious cameo appearance in the movie Barbie, poking fun at the legacy of the iconic doll. Released in 2009 as a special edition for adult collectors, Sugar Daddy Ken was quickly discontinued due to controversy surrounding its suggestive name and appearance.
Before Barbie came out, Robbie explained to Vogue that she played Barbie as if she didn't feel sexual desire, which also may have contributed to her lack of feelings for Ken. “I'm like, Okay, she's a doll. She's a plastic doll. She doesn't have organs.
Days before Valentine's Day, Mattel spokesperson Russell Arons announced that Barbie and her boy-toy had decided to “spend some quality time — apart.” (The New York Times reported that the break-up was Barbie's idea.)
The movie showed her they were "just not on the same wavelength" when it came to their views on gender, she said. "Barbie has helped me graduate out of a cycle of overextending myself into spaces or around people I don't truly resonate with, to get myself back to discovering what I want out of life," she said.
Canonically, while Ken was introduced as Barbie's boyfriend, he's often portrayed as a “best friend,” which indicates he doesn't have to be a love interest. They also have never been married, further signaling an openness about their relationship and a freedom that's in Barbie's hands.
Barbie and Ken have been together on and off since 1961. It was love at first sight for the pair and after a rough patch in the noughties, they are back together. They have no plans to marry and they have no plans to have children. They are, it would appear to any outsider, living the dream.
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.)
One of the characters in the movie is a pregnant Midge, who is played by Emerald Fennell and is based on a real doll. The controversial pregnant Midge doll was released by Mattel in 2002 and caused outrage among parents who believed it promoted teen pregnancy.
The doll was launched in 1963 as Barbie's bestie. She had freckles and red hair, and she wore less makeup than Barbie did. The first version of Midge was discontinued in 1967 and replaced with a doll named PJ, who looked more like Barbie.
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.
Here's what it means. In Barbie, Margot Robbie's pretty and pink "Stereotypical Barbie" is in crisis. She has cellulite — and she can't stop thinking about death.
Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Barbie was named after Ruth Handler's daughter, Barbara, and Ken after her son, Kenneth. She is from (fictional) Willows, Wisconsin, where she attended high school.
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.
In 1991, she was married to Allan (now spelled "Alan"). Before and after the Wedding Day Midge doll was sold, many Midge play line dolls were produced.
Fans had no way of knowing that Barbie had an even more adult side: She was closely related to a German novelty toy. Barbie had a sister—Bild-Lilli, a racy doll marketed to men.
