1969-1973 EARLY MOD

In 1969 the new-look Ken was released, inspired by the ‘Mod’ generation, and complete with talking mechanism. He is similar in height to the original Ken, but looks completely different, with a much beefier body. The dolls themselves were originally

Four outfits appeared for ‘Mod’ Ken in 1969. Surprisingly few considering the wait and that this brand new Ken was far too hunky to wear any of the old Ken clothes. Still, they are great. Rally Gear is my absolute

Initially in 1970 the dolls were still produced in Mexico, and came in boxes printed in the US. During 1970 Mattel moved the entire boy doll production to Hong Kong. Those dolls can be seen in the 1971 Boys section.

Four new outfits were available for 1970. There were also two great Sears exclusives: the first Casual All Stars Set, and the gift-boxed Red, White ‘N Wild Set. All trousers from 1969-71 Ensemble Pak outfits have working YKK zips. Some

The regular Casual All Stars series began in 1970 and ran until 1973. They are genuine Mattel outfit sets, which were sold exclusively by Sears. Each set came with a jacket, two pairs of slacks, a long-sleeved shirt, a short-sleeved

During 1970 doll production moved to Hong Kong (I’ve read it was because the Mexico factory burned down, though have no definite proof of this) and Ken was given a new head-mold. Personally I think it an improvement, a little

1971 was the ‘Scene’ year. Fashion Pak items included a set of golf clubs, footwear, and shirts and slacks with accessories. As well as their continuing Casual All Stars series (see section Casual All Stars – Sears exclusive sets 1970-74), Sears

WALK LIVELY KEN #1184 Walk Lively Ken’s arms and head turn if you move his legs. In Germany he was also known as Geh-mit-Ken, in the Netherlands as Loop-met-Ken, and in France as Ken qui Marche. He came with his own

1972 saw the beginning of the Fashion Originals and Best Buy Fashions ranges. Gone are the zips and the fine tailoring of the early outfits. The trousers are simply half-elasticated at back with fly-stitching detail on front. This became the

MOD HAIR KEN #4224 The brand new doll for 1973 was Mod Hair Ken, the first Ken since 1961 with ‘real’ hair. He also came with stick-on facial hair: a beard, moustaches and sideburns. He was mostly produced in Hong

In 1973 a new series called Get-Ups ‘N Go fashions began. They are complete outfits with various accessories. Both the Best Buy Fashions and the GUAG outfits were produced in Korea. No Get-Ups ‘N Go outfits were printed on the

It didn’t take long for the clone companies to catch up with Mattel, and by 1971 clone Kens and clothing in the new Mod-look dimensions were readily available. While most US department store catalogues still sold the genuine Mattel Kens,