Sydney Crabtree Essays - Barbie, Entertainment, Ken, Animation, Time

Sydney Crabtree Mrs. Reese English G.A.T.E. March 17, 2016 Plastic Love is Real Love Barbie and Ken are one of the most iconic couples the world has ever seen. Their love has been here before Kimye and Jayonce, and has been envied by a lot of people. We see their love grow all the time, every time the stores restock their shelves or you see a girl show off her doll to all her friends. Barbie and Ken' s love will be here forever whether you want it here or not. However, many of us do think that how real can a plastic doll's love be, and I am here to show you that it can be just as drama filled and chaotic as everyone else's . Barbie Millicent Roberts was created by Ruth Handler for the Mattel Company in 1959. Handler and her husband, Elliot, founded the company with partner Harold "Matt" Matson in 1942. According to infoplease.com, Ruth was inspired by dolls she'd seen on a trip to Europe, and from watching her own daughter, Barbara, play with them , but Barbara never knew she would have an iconic doll named after her . After that Handler decided to create an adult doll for children. The doll stood t welve inches high and plastic, the new "Barbie" doll and her fashionable and separately-sold clothing were such a hit that Mattel became a publicly-owned company in 1960. Since the toy was so famous new versions of the toy copied fashion trends over the years, and Barbie was the center of a universe that included a smokin' boyfriend (Ken), occasional siblin gs (Skipper, Todd, Stacie ), pets (too many to name, including dogs, horses, cats and a parrot), cars, boa ts, planes , and houses. Plus on top of that s pecial versions of Barbie included scientists, disco dancers, fashion models, astronauts, rock stars and lifeguards. According to infoplease.com, by the 1980s the doll was starting to be forced to be a collectible, so Mattel began making versions of Barbie specifically for the collectors' market. Critics of the doll say it presents an unrealistic body image for girls, pointing to Barbie's large bosom, slim waist, long leg s, white skin and blonde hair . Except f ans say Barbie encourages young girls and boys, by giving them dreams to be scientists, disco dancers, fashion models, astronauts, rock stars or lifeguards. Despite the ongoing debate over Barbie's impact on American culture, the doll remains one of the best-known and best-selling dolls on the market. According to manbehindthedoll.com, Ken was first introduced in 1961 we heard from Mattel about Ken as the fu ture steady boyfriend of Barbie , the teenage fashion model. He was named after the son of Ruth and Elliot Ha ndler; inventors of the Barbie doll. In 1961 he stood a tall twelve inches high and came with a flocked crew cu t in brunette or blonde . He had a six-piece jointe d body with painted blue eyes. He wore red bathing trunks, cork sandals and came with a yellow towel. However since his hair came out in water, Mattel re-released him the following year with molded, painted hair instead. In 1963 , he went thro ugh another change according to the article "Ken 101" Mattel shortened him by of an inch .Ken's body also became a little heftier and leg joints were looser. Ken brou ght to the world of Barbie the possibility of adventure and romance. But, steady dating seems to be the result of this lon g lasting r elationship. One sad truth is Ken is only consi dered an "accessory" to Barbie, by Ma ttel. This does really make Ken a "boy toy". However to me, Ken will always represent a healthy combination of cuteness , boyish masculinity, playfulness , and style. According to femalemag.com, Ken and Barbie met on the set of TV commercial and just hit it off. However it wasn't until Barbie and Ken's "parents" (Mattel) broke the news that the couple has decided to call it quits after 43 strong years on Val entine's Day in 2004. Opposed , they felt that they needed some quality time apart, according to their business