You might simply know him as Barbie’s boy-toy toy for boys, but many people seem to forget nowadays that the Ken doll has been around for just about as long as Barbie herself. Available on shelves all over the world since the early 1960s, Ken’s look hasn’t altered all that drastically over the years – in fact, his dimpled smile, cinnamon tan, and perfectly coiffed hair have all remained baffingly pristine amongst the chaos of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and Donald Trump’s presidency. Ken’s makeover into a 21st century man has certainly been a long time coming, especially considering how his main squeeze Barbie had her own renaissance back in 2015 when a new range of Barbies were launched in order to make the oft-maligned icon a lot more inclusive. No longer just blonde, white, and scarily slim, the new range of Barbies offered a host of different ethnicities and body sizes to choose from.
Well, it’s 2017 now and it seems like Ken has finally caught up to his female counterpart. Introducing a whopping 15 new Ken dolls as part of their ‘Fashionistas’ range, Mattel’s latest Ken dolls will now come in four ethnicities (Caucasian, African-American, Asian, and Latino) and three different body sizes (including “broad” and “slim” reiterations of Ken) to accompany his regularly chiseled, tanned, and anatomically impossible self. These Kens don’t have washboard abs or rippling muscles, they’re more the sort of men you’d see happily taking down a 12” Meat Feast on a Friday night. Basically, they’re you and me. Or, that’s the idea at least.
Unsurprisingly this news has been met with a great deal of positivity; however, the biggest controversy surrounding Ken’s update has been that along with his brand-new body, Ken has also got himself nine new hairstyles, including cornrows, a high-top, and a man bun. Yep. You read that right. Manbun Ken is now a reality. Witness it in all its glory:
We, for one, are not actively against the introduction of Manbun Ken. We’re glad that there’s finally a Ken out there who can take Barbie out for a decaf Soy latte and tell her about how he “really understands” the plight of a woman. That is, promptly before Barbie leaves him for Broad Ken who’s got a convertible. Because, let’s face it: no-one wants to play with Manbun Ken.