Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Mattel introduces ‘diverse’ Ken dolls

Ken has a new look—and one of his styles has Twitter users ramping up their snark.

Facing stiff competition from surging competitor Hasbro, Mattel introduced a new line of Barbie and Ken dolls. The additions, called “Fashionistas,” represent a diversity that hasn’t always been present for the iconic figures.

Here’s how Mattel introduced them to the world on social media:

Last year, the company introduced new Barbie dolls that represented a variety of new body types and hairstyles. Now, children can choose from Ken dolls with man buns, corn rows or even an Ira Glass lookalike.

This represents the first time Ken has seen major variations in his look:

Twitter users tweeted jokes about the new figures, specifically the Ken featuring a man bun:

Buzzfeed also published a post titled, “ 69 things the new Barbie Ken with a man bun is probably into. ”

Despite the ridicule, Mattel hopes that the new styles will help boost sales.

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Time reported :

Mattel spent years on a top-secret redesign called Project Dawn. The company spent months debating what to label the new body types — "curvy" rather than "plus-sized," for instance. (Ken’s “broad” label underwent the same painstaking process, winning out over “husky.”) The company haggled with retailers when it came to how to sell the dolls, which now come in dozens of combinations of hair, body and skin tone. The final product: A curvier Barbie with a larger tummy, bottom and thighs who made her debut on the cover of TIME in 2016. Sales of the new dolls continue to see double-digit growth a year after their introduction

But in some ways, Ken’s makeover is more extreme than that of Barbie. Both dolls have always been a blank slate upon which children can project their desires, hopes and dreams. Unlike Elsa from Frozen or Doc McStuffins, they don’t have personalities. They just have bodies. But Ken has long played arm candy to his “girlfriend”: Mattel sells about one Ken for every Barbie. Part of changing Ken’s appearance is an attempt by Mattel to make him almost as interesting as Barbie — and sell more Kens in the process.

In a press release, Mattel’s senior vice president, Lisa McKnight, said the company is “redefining what a Barbie or Ken doll looks like to this generation,” adding that the new Ken dolls allow “girls to further personalize the role they want him to play in Barbie’s world.”

Additionally, Mattel announced its intention to introduce 25 diverse Barbie dolls in the coming months.



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