1974-1977 LATE MOD to THE NOW LOOK

THE SPORTS SET SUN VALLEY KEN #7809 The new boy for 1974 was The Sports Set Sun Valley Ken. In France he was also known as Ken au Ski. There are two slightly different looks and packaging. The first version

All outfits from this year were produced in Korea. The Get-Ups ‘N Go and Best Buy Fashions from 1974-1978 were not printed on the reverse. Again, none of these Best Buy Fashions came with shoes, hence no close-ups of them.

THE SUN SET MALIBU KEN #1088 I have discovered several (The Sun Set) Malibu Kens with slightly different looks, markings and boxes. The first one to be made in Taiwan was packaged in a white box, though in Europe and

All outfits were produced in Korea, and there were some great ones this year, including two Gold Medal outfits. None of these Best Buy Fashions originally came with shoes. Curiously, Best Buy Fashions #7228 doesn’t seem to exist. BEST BUY FASHIONS BEST

In 1976 Ken packaging was given a new style logo, which was used right through the Superstar era and beyond. This is also an important year for packaging: almost all Barbie & Ken boxes from here on would be pink

All 1976 outfits were produced in Korea. There were some great ones this year, with an overall seaside-holiday theme. Four of them (#9696-9699) were exclusive to Sears.* Note Ken’s new logo on all the packaging. BEST BUY FASHIONS BEST BUY

MALIBU KEN #1088 During 1977 the box for Malibu Ken was altered slightly. This new box is much smaller, and the graphics have changed a little, with the Mattel logo at the bottom. It is still dated 1975, as are

1977-78 were hit-and-miss years for Ken clothing, a kind of in-between fashion period, which doesn’t quite achieve its own clear identity.  Still, there are a few gems here, including one of my all-time favorites, Get-Ups ‘N Go #9744. All outfits

Donny and Jimmy Osmond are included here, even though they’re not really part of the Ken family. They are however original Mattel, and Donny was designed to fit Ken’s clothing. DONNY OSMOND #9767 Donny was also available together with a Marie

By the mid-1970s only Montgomery Ward and Sears were still selling genuine Mattel Ken clothing through the Christmas catalogues. The other stores sold their own cheaper ‘clone’ clothing, sometimes in combination with a genuine Ken, but mostly independently. There were