Namaste from Ken

by Omar Syed-Newsletter Committee

Ken, whether in India or America, is inexplicably linked to Barbie, though his popularity has grown with Indian children in recent years, when the doll was first introduced as My First Ken, alongside My First Barbie, he met with some resistance. In India, where dating is usually frowned upon, the way to a matrimonial destination is through an arranged marriage, not through dating. Therefore Ken, who was marketed as “Friend of Barbie” fared poorly in his 1993 release in India. The first Ken doll produced in India was seen in two single versions and a gift set with Barbie. The single releases had Ken dressed in a kurta and pyjama set- a white long sleeved tunic and light colored plain pants with a drawstring waist with white loafers; or in a shirt and tie outfit that looked suspiciously like Mr. Heart’s attire- a white/blue striped shirt with white collar, navy blue sewn on necktie, navy blue pants and white loafers. Both dolls used the PTR body.

The Indian dressed Ken had dark hair while the Western (as in Western Hemisphere, not Westerns with John Wayne) had blonde hair. The giftset Ken and Barbie were in traditional Indian bridal attire and their box was a rehashed package from the Happy Holidays Barbie from that year.
Ken’s later releases in India were merely European releases of various dolls, including Prince Antonio, Prinz Ken (no, that’s not a typo) and Prince Dominic (see a pattern here?). It was not until a 2008 release that a new Indian Ken (Ken in India) was unveiled. The twin brother of Prinz Ken, he wore a striking outfit of kurta (actually merely a front dickey), printed pyjamas, a long flowing blue jacket and black loafers. He was dressed differently in a gift set with Barbie and had an added lime green scarf (like an ascot) and was missing the inner kurta dickey. Looking more Italian than Indian, Ken in India was what little girls (and boys) were waiting for, or was he?

As mentioned before, little girls (and boys) in India are brought up with the idea of arranged marriage. Of course, teens and adults and even children nowadays know about having a girlfriend or boyfriend (or a few of each) and the whole concept of dating as per Western ideals is commonplace, much to the dismay of some elders in Indian families. Basically, little Indian girls aren't interested in Ken. The boyfriend/girlfriend style play, while normal since the new millennium, is still somewhat unheard of in various parts of India. Had Mattel marketed Ken as a suitable boy that Barbie's parents liked (i.e. for an arranged marriage), perhaps Ken might've done better and fit better into Indian society when he was initially released in India in the early 1990s.