1961 Flocked hair Kens including the ‘brownette’ Ken

HE’S A DOLL!™ – Mattel copyrighted this line to introduce Barbie’s boyfriend Ken in March 1961, through the trade magazines Playthings and Toys & Novelties and at the American International Toy Fair in New York. The first Kens were issued with red shorts (with white stripes down the sides) and sandals, towel, wire stand and booklet. The earliest promotional images show him in black and white trunks, matching the original Barbie swimsuit. This version was not commercially produced, though all 1961 Kens came in a box which features him wearing black and white shorts on the cover. According to the April issue of Playthings, Ken was officially available to dealers from June 1961. The original TV commercial, using prototypes, can be seen on Youtube.

He was made in Japan and came with crew-cut flocked hair in various colours. Officially there are three versions: brunette (very dark brown to black), blonde, and the version known as a ‘brownette‘ (mid-browns ranging from sandy to dark reddish brown). Every kind of blonde from lemon to ash, straw and strawberry has been found, but most ‘variations’ are simply the results of ageing. The original flocked hair Ken is arguably the most beautiful Ken ever, but sadly came with one major design-flaw: his flocking simply couldn’t withstand intensive play or washing. For this reason Mattel were eventually forced to discontinue him, and by Christmas 1963 had completely replaced him with a new-look Ken with painted hair.

For more information and many more detailed photographs see THE ORIGINAL KEN® BOOK.


KEN #750 (blonde and brunette)

All flocked hair Kens were packaged with one card insert at the shins and one at the neck, and had a cellophane bag covering the head to protect the hair. This bag may look a bit spooky, but they are now highly prized by MIB (mint in box) collectors.

Some Kens have perfect matt complexions, while on others the plastic has either gone shiny all over the face, or pink and chalky around the jaw. Their hair ‘cut’ also varies between a straight hairline which goes down to the temples at right angles, or a more convex hairline curving at the temples. The eyebrows also vary greatly in shape and colour. These Kens can even differ in size and stance. In fact, I’ve studied countless flocked hair Kens, and have never seen two which looked identical.

All 1961 blonde and brunette Kens came with a pink booklet, a yellow towel and sandals in a cellophane bag, and they wore the same wrist tag. Close-up photos of these can be seen in THE ORIGINAL KEN® BOOK).

1961 #750 blonde Ken in original packaging
1961 #750 blonde Ken in original packaging
1961 #750 brunette Ken in original packaging
1961 #750 brunette Ken in original packaging

THE ‘BROWNETTE’ KENS

The brown-haired versions were only sold in the first year. The term ‘brownette’ is generally used to describe these Kens, but, as far as I know, is not an official Mattel trademarked name. The order catalogues from 1961 which feature Ken, such as Montgomery Ward, Aldens and Spiegel, all only show this brown-haired version. The only exceptions (like the Western Auto Fall Winter 1961-1962 catalogue) show the original prototype. Sears do not feature Ken in any of their catalogues from 1961, and JCPenney did not even produce mail order catalogues until they took over the General Merchandise Company in 1963. However, collectors have found ‘brownette’ Kens with price stickers on the boxes from JCPenney, Sears and many other stores all over the US, so they were obviously not sold exclusively through any one store.

‘Brownettes’ have a different style of face paint, with (usually) pale brown eyebrows, and a white crescent or dash inside the pupil (unlike the regular flocked hair Kens, which have a white dot in the iris). I have also seen versions with and without a painted scalp under the flocking. Very occasionally there are exceptions found. Mattel obviously experimented with Ken’s look in the first year, and flocked haired Kens, including ‘brownettes’ have been found with heavier dark brown eyebrows (see example in THE ORIGINAL KEN® BOOK). An example of such a Ken can also be found in the 1961 Aldens Christmas catalogue. The ‘brownette’ Kens came with their own unique wrist tag and a slight variation booklet, which can be seen below, and in detail in THE ORIGINAL KEN® BOOK.

KEN #750 (‘brownette’)

1961 #750 'Brownette' Ken
1961 #750 ‘brownette’ Ken in original packaging (with lighter brown hair)
1961 #750 'brownette' Ken
1961 #750 ‘brownette’ Ken in original packaging (with darker brown hair)

THE RED TOWEL

The ‘brownette’ Ken appears with a red towel in at least three contemporary catalogues: the 1961 Aldens Christmas Book, the 1961 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue, and the Mostow Co. Yearly Wholesale catalogue No.149. This means the red towel was also not exclusive to any one store. However, only about a quarter of the ‘brownettes’ I’ve found for sale originally-packaged over the years seem to have come with a red towel. I know the Kens directly above came with regular yellow towels, as I bought them from the original owners. I have found two differently shaped red towels, both of which can be seen in THE ORIGINAL KEN® BOOK.


The two ‘brownettes’ below left illustrate how flocked hair Kens can vary in size and stance. The brunettes show slight variations in hair colour. However, notice how the face of the lighter-haired Ken has changed, especially around the jaw, so it is possible that his hair colour has also been affected by some ageing process.

Two 'brownette' Kens of varying size
Two ‘brownette’ Kens of varying size
Possible variations of brunette Ken hair colour
Possible variations of brunette Ken hair colour

UNUSUAL HAIR COLOURS

The most common question I’m asked by other collectors is whether an official ‘Titian’ flocked hair Ken was ever released. So far in all my research there has been no proof: not a single catalogue features, or makes a mention of, a red-head Ken, and no box has yet been found with ‘Titian’ or ‘Redhead’ printed on the box lid end. The few that have occasionally appeared for sale as redhead Kens were either reflocks, or the flocking looked extremely dubious, as if some ageing process had altered it (like the one below left). Kens with regular face paint but unusually light brown hair (like the ones below middle and right) are also always damaged in some way, and are certainly just regular blondes or brunettes, which have just been affected by age and aggressive play.

Various flocked hair Kens with unusual hair colours, which are probably just the effects of ageing
Various flocked hair Kens (from past auctions on Ebay) with unusual hair colours, which are probably just the effects of ageing

FEET MARKINGS

Some 1961 flocked hair Kens, including ‘brownettes’, have differently-shaped feet from all others, with more careful detailing to the toes. The markings also differ: JAPAN is stamped very small across the width of the sole of the right foot. All other Kens from 1961 have JAPAN stamped large along the length of the sole. Photos of both versions can be found in THE ORIGINAL KEN® BOOK.


PATENT STAMP

All 1961 Kens were stamped on the bottom with the Ken logo and Mattel copyright, dated 1960. (According to the website trademarkia.com, a U.S. federal trademark registration was filed for KEN by Mattel Inc., El Segundo, CA 90245- 501 on Monday 17 October 1960).

1961_Ken_Stamp
Ken™ Pats. Pend. © MCMLX by Mattel Inc.

THE 1961 BOXES

The box lid front and sides remained mostly the same during 1961, but the ends came in several versions. All versions of the 1961 box can be seen in THE ORIGINAL KEN® BOOK.

1961 #750 Ken box imprint (side of lid)
1961 #750 Ken box imprint (side of lid)

Most Ken boxes made in Japan have a small stamp inside the box lid, with ‘K’ and a number. My own collection contains boxes stamped with numbers ranging from K1 to K284. I have no idea what these stamps refer to exactly, though would be grateful to hear from anyone who does know: contact@somethingabouttheboy.com.

1961 #750 blonde Ken box lid showing stamp
1961 #750 Ken box lid showing stamp

THE WIRE STAND

All original Kens from 1961-67 came with a wire stand or “pedestal”.

1961-64_750_Wire_Stand
Ken wire stand or pedestal

BOOKLETS & CATALOGUES

The first hint that a boy doll could be in the pipeline is through the Barbie Game, advertised already (for a spring release) in the January 1961 issue of Playthings Magazine. The game features four prospective boyfriends for Barbie – including Ken – who can all be seen here. The Ken doll is first introduced to Barbie fans through the 1961 Barbie Club Newsletter.

From 1961 January issue of Playthings Magazine
From 1961 January issue of Playthings Magazine
From the 1961 Barbie Club News magazine
From the 1961 Barbie Club News magazine

The earliest pictured versions of the actual Ken doll I have found are from Mattel advertising and promotional material from March 1961. He is shown wearing black and white striped trunks – which were not commercially produced. The Mattel 1961 Annual Report shows a later prototype, which also features in the Mattel Dolls 1961 catalogue. This one is certainly closer to the final Ken, but note the pink towel. The Spiegel catalogue also shows a pink towel, but the written description states “Towel not incl.”, which presumably means that the pink towel was never commercially available.

From March 1961 Toys and Novelties magazine
From March 1961 Toys and Novelties magazine
From March 1961 Playthings magazine
From March 1961 Playthings magazine
From Mattel Dolls 1961 brochure
From Mattel Dolls 1961 (preview) brochure
1961_Mattel_Dolls_catalogue_Version_02
From Mattel Dolls 1961 catalogue
1961 Mattel publicity photo for Ken
1961 Mattel publicity photo for Ken
From Mattel Annual Report 1961
From 1961 Mattel Annual Report

Despite his official trade launch in March, Ken was not available to dealers until June (see Playthings magazine from April 1961 below).

From 1961 April Playthings magazine
From 1961 April Playthings magazine

The Barbie & Ken booklet which came with the ‘brownette’ version is not dated on the cover, but is otherwise practically identical to the regular one, with just slight differences to the printing and colouring. Both show the same generic illustration of Ken and have no mention of hair colour. It is missing part of Ken’s description, which (as it ends half way through a sentence) is presumably a printing error. Either that, or it was because some ‘brownettes’ really didn’t come with a towel (as alluded to in the Spiegel catalogue below).

From 1961 Barbie & Ken booklet
1961 Barbie & Ken booklet (regular)
From 1961 Barbie & Ken booklet ('brownette')
From 1961 Barbie & Ken booklet (‘brownette’)

Ken does not appear in any 1961 store catalogues until Christmas (at least I’ve discovered none so far), and they all feature ‘brownette’ Kens only. The only exception is the Western Auto Fall Winter catalogue, which shows the original prototype, and has no mention of hair colour. The Spiegel catalogue shows Ken with a pink towel. However, the written description states “Towel not incl.”, which presumably means that the pink towel was never commercially available.

From 1961-62 Western Auto Fall Winter catalogue
From 1961-62 Western Auto Fall Winter catalogue
From 1961 Spiegel Christmas catalogue
From 1961 Spiegel Christmas catalogue
From 1961 General Merchandise Company catalogue
From 1961 General Merchandise Company catalogue
From 1961 Aldens Christmas Book
From 1961 Aldens Christmas Book

For the first couple of years Ken was occasionally pictured with bendy arms, an artistic licence which sadly didn’t do him any favours.

From 1961 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue
From 1961 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue

Annual catalogues, as well as Spring Summer and Fall Winter catalogues usually only show items from the previous Christmas. Hence the 1961 version of Ken with white-striped shorts and towel appears in several catalogues from 1962. Note however that they now show regular blonde and brunette Kens.

From 1962 Spiegel Spring Summer catalogue
From 1962 Spiegel Spring Summer catalogue

The only exception is shown below, from 1962 Monroe catalogue (also packaged as the Mostow catalogue for 1962). It shows all three versions of Ken (‘brownette’, blonde, brunette) as clothing models. However, the main picture shows a blonde Ken holding the rare ‘brownette’ red towel, and the written description also states that the Ken being sold is blonde. It is possible that this Ken was sold with a red towel (making it extremely rare indeed), but it is equally as possible that the Kens and accessories were mixed up during the photo shoot, and that this blonde Ken was accidentally given a red towel for the photo only (i.e. the actual blonde Kens sold came with a regular yellow towel). The Majestic catalogue for 1962 also states that the Ken for sale is blonde.

From 1962 Monroe Wholesale General Merchandise catalogue
From 1962 Monroe Wholesale General Merchandise catalogue
From 1962 Majestic Electric Supply Co. Inc. catalogue
From 1962 Majestic Electric Supply Co. Inc. catalogue
From 1962 General Merchandise catalogue
From 1962 General Merchandise catalogue
From 1962 Western Auto Fall Winter catalogue
From 1962 Western Auto Fall Winter catalogue

The 1962 Fall Winter Spiegel catalogue states that Ken comes “With Swimsuit, sun glasses”. This was probably just an error, copied from the Barbie description.

From 1962 Spiegel Fall Winter catalogue
From 1962 Spiegel Fall Winter catalogue
From 1962 Montgomery Ward Fall Winter catalogue
From 1962 Montgomery Ward Fall Winter catalogue

THE REPRODUCTIONS

Mattel have produced several reproduction vintage dolls and gift sets for the adult collector. The brunette flocked hair Ken was first reproduced in 1991 for his 30th Anniversary, as a porcelain doll. The 45th Anniversary version from 2006 is a slightly more faithful reproduction, with a version of his original box and the 1961-style beach outfit and towel. A similar brunette was also issued in 2009, wearing Tuxedo, as part of the (Barbie 50th Anniversary) Wedding Day gift set, and again in 2011, wearing his 1961-style beach outfit as part of the (Ken 50th Anniversary) My Favorite Ken gift set. This same brunette Ken also appeared in 2011 (inside an Iron Man style robot suit) as Chogo-Ken by Ambush, a Platinum Label collector piece, limited to 25 boxed sets. A reproduction of the blonde flocked hair Ken (wearing Dreamboat) was issued in 2006 as part of the Friday Night Dream Date gift set, and in 2021 in his original 1961 beach outfit to celebrate Ken’s 60th birthday. A reproduction of the ‘brownette’ Ken (brown hair but regular style face paint) wearing Touchdown was issued in 2008 as part of the Campus Spirit gift set.

1991 30th Anniversary porcelain Ken
1991 30th Anniversary porcelain Ken with original packaging
2006 45th Anniversary Ken
2006 45th Anniversary Ken in original packaging
2006 45th Anniversary Ken original packaging
2006 45th Anniversary Ken original packaging
2006 Friday Night Dream Date in original packaging
2006 Friday Night Dream Date in original packaging
2006 Friday Night Dream Date original packaging
Reverse of packaging
2008 Campus Spirit in original packaging
2008 Campus Spirit in original packaging
2008 Campus Spirit original packaging
Reverse of packaging
2009 Wedding Day (Barbie 50th Anniversary) in original packaging
2009 Wedding Day (Barbie 50th Anniversary) in original packaging
2009 Wedding Day (Barbie 50th Anniversary) original packaging
2009 Wedding Day Reverse of packaging
2011 My Favorite Ken (Ken 50th Anniversary) in original packaging
2011 My Favorite Ken (Ken 50th Anniversary) in original packaging
2011 My Favorite Ken (Ken 50th Anniversary) original packaging
Reverse of packaging
2011 Chogo-Ken by Ambush with original packaging
2011 Chogo-Ken by Ambush with original packaging
2021 60th Anniversary blonde flocked hair Ken
2021 60th Anniversary Ken in original packaging