Sunday, February 9, 2014

Doll-A-Day 40: Happy Birthday Ken! with Bendleg Ken and The Beatles 50th Anniversary

  That's MY Ken, not Ken the doll. But since it's my Ken's birthday, we're celebrating with Ken Week! 
  The Ken doll was introduced as Barbie's boyfriend in 1961. He was in continuous production, in many different forms, until 2004, (except for a slight break between 1967 and 1969),when Mattel decided Barbie needed a different boyfriend. (What were they thinking?! Can't dolls even stay together any more?!) He reappeared in 2006. He has obviously overlooked being dumped for a couple of years because he and Barbie are back together.
  Today's Ken is one we saw recently, but he's 'my Ken' too, so it's fitting we take a better look at him.

This is my childhood Ken doll.He is a bend leg Ken, and was produced in 1965 I think.He was advertised as having 'Lifelike Bendable Legs'.



1965? Was I really only 3 or 4 when I got this guy?
Looks like he's doing that Pee Wee Herman dance.
He originally came in red swim trunks and a short blue jacket with a K for Ken on it.And of course, his little cork sandals.Today he's wearing a red shirt,(I like my Ken in a red shirt),and some really cool socks, which are more something I would wear, and WHY is he wearing shorts in the middle of winter? BECAUSE HE'S KEN! It's what they do, apparently.

As usual, bend leg Ken came in brunette or blonde. I always preferred dark haired men, but I married a blonde Ken.

Bendleg Ken has blushy cheeks.
 







My Ken has bendlegs and blushy cheeks too.His hair is alot crazier though.
Happy Birthday Ken! I love you!
Today is also the 50th anniversary of The Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. (Which was also a Sunday too.)

The Beatles as most of America first saw them, singing All My Loving on The Ed Sullivan Show.
It wasn't their first U.S. TV appearance, as they had appeared on network newcasts in November of 1963, and Jack Paar  had shown a film clip a month before the Ed Sullivan appearance,in January of 1964.It was their first actual performance on American TV. Credit to Ed, who booked them after a trip to England where he witnessed the huge crowds that met them at the airport


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4 comments:

  1. Frau S. aus B.December 29, 2015 at 5:34 PM

    The male doll of my childhood was Fred by Plasty (link, since they made different, too: http://medien.markt.de/bilder/2014/10/12/16/2afdd7f0/medium_image/0/fred_von_plasty.jpg?lastModified=1413124487000 )
    But I had a clone of yours. I saw him in a bag, hanging in a store at Wannsee, at the water, in the South West in Berlin, the place and way I got many of such dolls.
    People are in the mood as they are in vacation there, though they are still in Berlin, they swim, or the go by steamboat down the river, or walk at the water, and so on; they enjoy their free time, so children get something there in the shops if they ask for it, too.
    I told my Mother that I needed urgent a male doll for my girls, and she did not quarrel and bought him^^
    I was still very small. And he looked so different from my calm Freddie! He was creepy, to be open. I GREW AFRAID OF HIM. He looked somehow fish-eyed in my opinion. Till today he looks strange to me.
    But I love the old Allan, and I hope one day I can buy one :)

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    Replies
    1. TamDecember 29, 2015 at 5:47 PM

      First of all, I think I accidentally deleted the last three comments you left! I though i had pushed 'Publish', but they don't seem to be there. Sorry!
      Was your doll anything like the doll I posted about here:http://planetofthedolls.blogspot.com/2014/11/doll-day-295-clone-wars-week-ken-clone.html I'm still trying to identify him.

      Delete
  2. Frau S. aus B.December 30, 2015 at 3:00 PM

    Hello dear :)
    If I find where I wrote, I will write again, if you agree I do so :) No problem! I would make an awful mess if I would have ablog, so... Deleting comments is a minor problem :)

    No, my Clone lookked very much as the real Ken. Today I know it was the Fred by Plasty. They copied him! Complete shameless :D

    The Skipper of Plasty is Peggy, and the early ones are sweet. Hollow plastic (and my first, which I got with three or so grew strange with the years, she had a tail at the back of her head with the hair standing complete horizontal, her eyes were missing, only the white was left, and since she lost her arms, she had loooong Petra (the Barbie of Mattel) arms, she could scratch her knees without move her back.
    I lost my Petras while moving after my Mother's dead, so I cannot show her. I have her again, but not in that very, um, special kind.

    But I wanted to show you the Ken clone. He is in ebay in the moment. By the way, it is possible, of course, that my was a clone and not the one of Plasty. There is no possibility to say which is which.
    This is the one which is on ebay:
    http://www.ebay.de/itm/Ken-Fred-Puppe-Vintage-Barbie-Petra-/291647781381?hash=item43e78ffa05:g:4sEAAOSw3KFWgD78

    Your clone is a little bit more like Allan in my eyes, since he looks to the side. I would not think he is a Ken-copy. But I have no idea who produced him.

    I could show him at Facebook. In the moment I 'have' no Barbie forum, 'mine' closed after hacking. It was the only place for me to talk to doll's owners, so I was very sad. But at FB are a few collectors, too. If the Barbie Forum will open again, I will show your boy there, if you don't mind :)

    I am SO happy I found your blog! It is the best thing for me to look at dolls, to read about them. As somebody wrote here: I have nobody who cares for dolls, too. So I really enjoy your work and all your stories :) Take care, and have a wonderful Silvetser tomorrow!

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    Replies
    1. TamDecember 31, 2015 at 12:26 PM

      I love your description of those long arms! Thanks so much for reading. I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. Happy new year!

      Delete

Thanks in advance for your comments.

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