niteHawk's spot

Newsflash - Barbie and Ken are on the rocks...

In a press release, Russell Arons. the pair's business manager (othewise known as the VP of marketing for Matell), stresses that the two will "remain friends".

Rumors that the pair split due to "Cali Girl Barbie's" infatuation with Blaine.

STATEMENT ON BARBIE AND KEN’S RUMORED BREAK-UP FROM HER NEWLY-HIRED NYC CELEBRITY PUBLICIST, KEN SUNSHINE (also a representative for Ben Affleck):

“I never comment on my client’s personal lives, but I will tell you that Barbie and Ken will always remain the best of friends. She looks forward to spending more time at her Malibu beach house with close friends and family, and concentrating on her budding film career. So at this time, we ask that you respect her privacy.”

KEN’S STATEMENT THROUGH HIS MANAGER AT MATTEL, RUSSELL ARONS:

“Barbie and I have decided to spend some time apart. People often joke about my role as ‘Mr. Barbie,’ but I wish her all the best in her new endeavors. She’s got a great new look and so many opportunities on the horizon and I am confident that we’ll continue to keep a long-lasting friendship.”

Stolen from Keping Ken website

In a follow up to this news that was delivered at Toy Fair 2004, I talked with Mattel representative Julia Jensen, who was in New York for Toy Fair 2004 via phone. While it is still unclear to me whether this was a marketing ploy concocted especially for the Cali Girl™ line, Mattel went public with the "break-up" info, by grandstanding the event complete with actor Ben Affleck's publicist (speaking on Barbie doll's behalf).

Julia said the the Barbie doll line is reinventing itself this year, and that means changes to the product line. "A lot of famous couples like Ben and J. Lo, Brittney and Justin break up and go on to do other things," Julia said, "Ken has been a part of Barbie doll's life for 43 years, and you just can't erase that". She also added, "Like Barbie, Ken can move on too."

The premise of the break-up is to draw attention to the new 'tween grabbing Cali Girl™ line. Barbie® sets her sights on hunky Blaine™ doll, who has lost all his Generation Girl Blaine doll past and is now "a hunky Australian boogey boarder". This piece of info gives me the hope that the break-up, and the media blitz will calm down as the line establishes itself. What I can't understand is if Mattel already has Barbie doll date other guys in different lines (for example, My Scene Barbie and My Scene™ River™) why would they choose to use Ken doll as the catalyst for this particular line?

This marketing strategy has perhaps unintentionally raised some questions as to whether Mattel is discontinuing Ken® doll, from both collector and media. I never got a straight answer as to whether Ken doll would be permanently removed from the play line, but was reminded that another version will be available this July, in the Barbie® as The Princess and the Pauper line.

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