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 has yellower hair – more like a regular Malibu Ken – with mid brown eyebrows and pale skin. He came with a wrist tag.
My favourite is this second one, with mustard colour hair. He looks more like a natural blonde than the regular ‘peroxide’ Malibu boys with their yellow-blonde hair and dark eyebrows. The lack of wrist tag, and box design similar to that of Free-Moving and Gold Medal Skier Kens, suggest that these versions were sold in 1975.
*Printing error for Canada
From 1974-1978 Ken’s skiing outfit was also available to order from the Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue, together with the matching Barbie outfit. They were packed in a simple stamped brown cardboard box numbered 7948. Sears sold the complete dressed Ken, packaged in a plain brown box. It is mentioned that colours and fabrics may vary, so it’s not clear whether the jacket and trousers were available in royal blue and purple, or whether some have just faded purplish with age.
ACTION KEN #1159
Live Action Ken was repackaged in a plastic bag and sold as Action Ken. I have not found any contemporary reference to this version, but as the card is dated 1973, it was presumably sold in either late 1973 and/or 1974.
The version below appears to be genuine, yet is missing the ‘suede’ vest and wrist tag. It is possibly from 1975, as by that time most Kens were no longer tagged, and the fringe vest would have been too outdated.
BOOKLETS & CATALOGUES
There doesn’t appear to have been a US Barbie booklet showing the range for 1974.
Montgomery Ward sold the Sun Valley Ken skiing outfit (as part of a set), but not the doll itself. The Ward’s catalogue also offered their special edition Mod Hair Ken (see section 1974 The Outfits).
The other catalogues continued to sell genuine Mattel dolls, but only offered their own ‘clone’ clothing. Spiegel even has a clone doll this year, which is a blatant copy of the classic Mod-era Ken.
The Best Products / Service Merchandise / E. H. Tepe Co. Inc. / Ardan catalogue obviously couldn’t afford two separate sets, so rather bizarrely has Barbie and Ken skiing on the beach.
MELTING JOINTS
A common ‘disease’, even among otherwise healthy Mod Era boys, is ‘Melting Joints’. I have no idea of the cause (though would be grateful for any suggestions), but the symptoms are a swelling of rubbery plastic between the torso and leg joints, resulting in an apparent glueing of the leg to the body. It actually looks and seems a lot worse than it is. With slow, careful pressure, holding the leg firmly around the hip joint, the leg can easily be freed from its locked position, and made to move again, without causing him any harm whatsoever.
