1961-1967 ORIGINAL

THE ORIGINAL KEN® BOOK – NOW AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FOR JUST $19.99! The only book dedicated to the original Ken and Allan! Each of the golden years – from the original Ken’s creation in 1961 to his eventual discontinuation in

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

There were nine complete outfits available for Ken in 1961: the basic wardrobe for a young undergraduate. All 1961 trousers have a visible YKK zip, but no snap fastener, and the Campus Hero, Dreamboat, and Saturday Date trousers all have turn-ups/cuffs.

During 1962 Mattel changed Ken’s original outfit and box design slightly. He now came with red sandals, plain red trunks or shorts, an unlabelled beach top, wire stand, and booklet. The towel was no longer included. These versions were only

In 1962 Mattel began to divide the clothing into Ensemble Paks; boxed like the outfits from 1961 and usually complete outfits with accessories, and Fashion Paks; smaller sets on card usually single fashion items or accessories. There are however several

To judge from the store catalogues and Kens found MIB from original owners, both flocked hair Ken and the new painted hair Ken were sold parallel during 1963, with flocked hair Ken eventually being discontinued by the end of the

Several great new Ensemble and Fashion Paks were produced for 1963, mostly sports- and profession-based. It is almost as if Mattel were beginning to reimagine Ken as a toy for boys. It is certainly worth noting that Ken’s Sailor and

THE US-MADE KENS ‘Shorty’ Kens now also came with the new-style box inserts. The ‘shorty’ Ken was originally marked on the rear with his own unique patent stamp, but after the introduction of Allan during 1964 all male dolls, including

1964 is arguably the best year for original Ken clothing. As well as loads of new regular outfits and accessories, Mattel also produced a Travel Costume Series and a Little Theatre Costume Series (the original TV commercial for this series

From 1965 Mattel sold only the Japan-made version of the 750 Ken. That is to say, the ‘shorty’ Ken no longer appears in any catalogues, and I’ve never found a MIB ‘shorty’ with a 1965, or later, booklet. The 750

No new Fashion Paks were produced for 1965, but Mattel released some really lovely Ensemble Paks, including my all-time favourite Holiday. Some older outfits were slightly modified for 1965: Going Bowling and American Airlines Captain were given extras, Roller Skate

The new Kens produced for 1966 came with a painted blush. Allan was discontinued in the US this year, so it is unlikely that ‘blush’ versions of him were made.* KEN #0750 (blonde and brunette) Having never found a 750 Ken

The 1966 outfits are the most collectable and expensive of all, but not quite as well-cut as the earlier stuff. As well as having basic collars, the shirts for Summer Job, Seein’ the Sights, Best Man and Here Comes the

KEN & ALLAN SOLD IN JAPAN Unlike in the US and Europe, the Kens sold in Japan can not be so easily categorized. Kens and Allans were usually sold as Dressed Dolls, and some, if not all, outfits and accessories

Mattel produced no new items for Ken in 1967, but continued to sell off old stock in the US and Europe. Most US catalogues for 1967 either feature old Mattel stock (like the Western Auto catalogues) or sell clone dolls

The success of Ken encouraged the production of many ‘clones’, ie. cheap, superficially similar boy dolls, mostly made in Hong Kong. Some are obviously made to resemble Ken, while others are more original, though none came anywhere close to being

IDENTIFYING WHITE SHORT-SLEEVE SHIRTS Ken’s white short-sleeve shirt first appeared in 1964. There are two versions of the shirt, and both of them came with and without label. 1. KEN IN SWITZERLAND. This shirt is extremely well-made, much like a

This section contains Kens and outfits which are so rare as to be practically unique. A few seem genuine, but most are of dubious authenticity. They are all genuine Mattel, but some may have been altered, either on purpose, or

Domestically Ricky was sold between 1965 and 1967 (In Europe he was still being advertised for sale in 1968). As with Ken and Allan, Ricky came with a beach outfit consisting of jacket, shorts and sandals. He also came with