Thanks to inventor and Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler, Barbie was born with a monumental purpose. Handler’s vision for Barbie was beyond your average plaything — she wanted the doll to symbolize girl power and independence. “My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be,” the toymaker wrote in her autobiography (via The New York Times). “Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.” Since the late 1950s, Barbie has shattered gender roles and encouraged children to dream big. But there’s one detail about Barbie that Handler didn’t bargain for. While the prototypical Barbie was ready to take on the world solo, consumers wanted something more traditional. Thus, influenced by public pressure, Mattel created a boyfriend for Barbie.
Barbie’s purported lover, Ken, has become an icon in his own right. With his dashing good looks and infinite charms, Ken is the ultimate dream guy doll. And as one would expect of a fashion doll union, Barbie and Ken are a top-tier power couple — gorgeous, glamorous, and without a single flaw. At least, that’s how things appear through Barbie’s stylish rose-colored glasses. But a fairly curious picture emerges when you wade into the details of Barbie and Ken’s relationship. With Barbie mania fully underway thanks to Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster “Barbie” film, it’s a perfect time to spotlight the intriguing, if not flat-out weird, things everyone ignores about Barbie and Ken’s relationship.
Barbie was the first of her kind when she debuted in 1959. Before Barbie, girls’ toys revolved around themes of domestic labor, and dolls typically took the form of babies. Although homemaking is a valid ambition, Barbie’s creator, Ruth Handler, felt it was time for a new type of doll. Thus, Ruth rejected the customary baby doll and created a full-fledged woman doll. Everything about Barbie was cutting-edge, from her wardrobe to her career as a fashion model.
Ruth also noticed that baby dolls had fallen out of favor with her daughter, Barbara Handler, who was more interested in playing with paper fashion dolls. The observation helped validate Ruth’s revolutionary idea. She named the iconic doll “Barbie” in Barbara’s honor. As Ruth once told the Los Angeles Times, “If it hadn’t been for Barbie, I would have never come up with the idea for the doll.”
When Ken came along in 1961, he followed a similar trajectory. Ruth created the hunky doll as Barbie’s perfect match: her Prince Charming, unconditional supporter, and enthusiastic wearer of flawlessly coordinated couple’s outfits. When choosing a moniker for the doll, Ruth kept with tradition by naming him after her son — and Barbie’s brother — Kenneth Handler. So, although Barbie and Ken are known as the world’s most famous toy couple, it may very well be more accurate to describe them as brother and sister.
