1981 Western Ken & Golden Nights/Disco Ken

WESTERN KEN #3600

Also known in Canada as Ken Style Western.

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GOLDEN NIGHTS/SOIR DORÉS or DISCO KEN #3208

This Ken was made in the Philippines. He has side-pointing hands and unusual caramel-colour hair. He was only released in Europe (as Disco Ken) and Canada (as Golden Nights or Soir Dorés Ken). The Canadian version was obviously originally also planned as Disco Ken, as the boxes are printed as such. Most versions however come with stickers covering the word ‘Disco’, replacing it with Golden Nights/Soir Dorés.

Some versions have thicker, darker brown strips on trousers.

The German box below has a sticker featuring Mattel’s ‘old for new’ special offer. If you returned your old doll, you could get up to DM5 off your new one. A new Ken could cost around DM20-30, so this was quite an incentive, and a surprisingly environment-friendly-seeming initiative from Mattel. However, the information does not explain what future awaits the returned dolls.

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BOOKLETS & CATALOGUES

The Barbie booklet and Mattel dealer catalogue for 1981 only feature Kens from previous years. Western Ken must have been a last minute addition, as he features only on a loose (unnumbered) page which came with the Mattel Makes It Happen catalogue. He obviously made it in time for Christmas, as he features in all the store catalogues.

The new (‘neu’) Kens on this page from the 1981 German Mattel dealer catalogue are prototypes and have some differences to the final dolls. Disco Ken is shown with sneakers, and it states that he comes with “gold shaded sunglasses”. Western Ken is pictured with the classic straight-arm body.