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Ken is a registered
trademark of Mattel, Inc. These pages are neither affiliated with, nor a
representative of Mattel, Inc. Material provided on these pages do not in
any way reflect the opinions of Mattel, Inc.
Keeping
Ken
BREAKING NEWS!
In early June 2008, the Keeping
Ken website reached 1 million plus
unique visits! It also is also holds the #1 top search result for Ken doll
on Yahoo and Lycos, #2 on Google and MS search engines! Hats off to
the mighty Ken doll collector!!
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Also, I am totally jumping ahead
with this teaser (pictured left), but I am working on something...stay tuned
for the big announcement! |
Keeping
Ken
UPDATE!
Sorry...it's been a long time
since the last update. As you may have heard on national news, my city
was hit with a devastating flood. Honestly, I have been trying to be a
good community helper and have spent a great deal of my time trying to help
those in need. Recently, with other leaders of the company I work for,
we helped clean out a home devastated from the flood. Here is a link
with a few pictures of that event I would like to share:
GAP Milwaukee District
Community Service
The work here isn't glamorous
and there is still much to be done. My home, was spared, but imagine
if you can the entire downtown of your city being destroyed. The
flood, Iowa's worst in 30 years, had rendered 36,000 residents homeless and
destroyed homes, farms and properties expected to exceed $2 billion in
value.
It is a tough, emotional time,
but as a community we will prevail.
Right as the city was flooding,
I went to the 2008 National Barbie Collectors Convention in Kansas City, Mo.
It was a welcome departure from sandbagging, that's for sure. I had
many duties as the Raffle Room Chair, and in my haste to leave, I actually
forgot to bring the card for my digital camera. But I am relying on
friends to send me at least a few pictures to cover the convention like I
usually do. I would like to publicly thank those of you at convention
who came to me and made sure I was holding up under the circumstances.
It meant more to me than I could ever communicate in words.
I am looking forward to other
things I had planned this year. Stay tuned. And, I mostly look
forward to getting back to focusing on Ken. Sometimes it is the things
we most cherish that bring us back to the way things ought to be. With
that, Brad has been great on keeping me in the "Ken" loop, and I has been
gracious enough to send me some pictures of the new Ken dolls arriving in
stores below!
Keeping
Ken
NEW DOLLS!
New Barbie Collector™
dolls have been listed on the Keeping Ken Identifier
Gift Sets page! They are Campus
Spirit Gift Set (Barbie and Ken) and the
Speed Racer Gift Set (Barbie and Ken).
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Fashion Fever Ken
Looking WAY hot is the
new edition of Fashion Fever Ken!! I am loving the way the eyes are
painted. Drawbacks are the use of the PTR arm molds and it looks
as though the messenger bag was omitted from production. Cell
phone charms are attached to the box. Brad found this Ken at
Kohl's. |
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Angelic Dreamz has photos of the
popular telenovela star Rebelde male dolls here:
REBELDE
Unfortunately, it looks as though to purchase the male dolls, you will have
to purchase them in gift sets paired with the girls: Mia and Miguel,
Lupita and Giovanni and Roberta and Diego. I saw the first edition
female dolls at Wal-Mart and K-Mart, but haven't seen these new gift sets in
stores yet. Thanks to Dana for this info!
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Sleeping Beauty Prince Doll
Erik from Germany has alerted me of a new
Mattel male doll that is appearing in that market. Petra from
Finland has also located this doll!
Erik says "I found an new prince doll. The box
is without any label (Ken or Prince) but the box backside shows
'Barbie as Sleeping Beauty' and 'Prince'. So it seems obvious that
'he' is the prince of 'Sleeping Beauty'. But you have to look very
carefully to find that.
Box date is 2007 and the Model-No. is L8123.
His face mold is identical with the Caucasian
version of
Barbie as The Island
Princess Prince Antonio Doll but has lighter
brown hair and steel blue eyes."
I have added this doll to the
Keeping Ken The
Millennium Era 2 2006-Beyond page and you can find a bigger
picture and a picture of the back of the box here:
Sleeping Beauty Prince
Doll.
Thanks for the info from my
international friends for this news (and the pictures provided by
Erik)! I hope to add him to my collection soon! |
Keeping
Ken
NEW KEN DOLL CLUB!
| I am pleased to announce a
new Ken® Doll Club that in the final stages of formation!
He's A Doll! Club is
a NEW officially recognized Mattel independent Ken® doll club forming
in 2007-2008. Membership will be required. The club will be active
and exciting, with structure and activities for members. This club
will keep Ken® collectors enriched and informed, and will be a part of
collector functions like the National Barbie® Doll Collectors
Convention and the NBDCC Steering Committee.
We're glad to have
Ken® doll collector enthusiasts join our club. If you are
interested in joining, we have a Yahoo group located here:
He's A Doll!
This group will keep
us informed about the 2007-2008 formation of He's A Doll! Club. Feel
free to join and post to this forum with your ideas for activities and
communication. If you are interested in being a Member of the club,
please let us know by posting to the forum. The Executive Committee
will be a formation of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer
and Member-At-Large. We are in the process of electing our Executive
Committee and membership information will be available soon!
There will be a
membership fee to join the club which will be decided later.
Membership to the club and this group will eventually be required to
remain in the group, but until then enjoy the group, and we hope you
decide to join the club when formation is complete. |
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Keeping
Ken
NEW KEN!
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Mariposa Prince Doll
In other male doll news from Mattel,
it was rumored that a male doll will be introduced into the Fairytopia™
line named Carlos. Brad found the Mariposa Prince Doll after
going to Toys R Us for a few days in a row. He said he is just
labeled Prince and didn't see any mention of the name Carlos being
used on his shipping carton or box. He is described on the back
as 'Meet the prince! He's a butterfly fairy friend from the new
Barbie Mariposa DVD!' This is also another new head mold kind
of similar to the prince from 2006. He also has pointy ears!
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Wedding Day Doll
When pictures of the
Fantasy Groom dolls were released, they look exactly
like the Barbie as The Island Princess Prince Antonio Dolls. The descriptions
also hinted that these dolls were somehow tied into the
Barbie Princess line, so maybe these dolls are actually second
versions of the Antonio dolls dressed for the wedding? We now
know that the Barbie as
The Island Princess Rosella & Antonio Wedding Gift Set was
produced, and these new dolls are actually called Wedding Day
(Pictured Below). I finally found
Wedding Day Groom Doll and he has a NEW molded hair head mold marked 2007 Mattel on the back of his head. Island Princess
Prince Antonio says 2005, 2006 Mattel. The most noticeable difference
is the part in his hair. This doll will not
be using the Ken trademark.
PICTURED BELOW:
Actual pictures of the Wedding Day Caucasian doll with a new head mold
marked 2007 Mattel. (Photos courtesy of Brad). PICTURED
BOTTOM: Promo photos of the Wedding Day dolls. The
Caucasian version shows The Island Princess Prince Antonio head mold.
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Vogue Collectibles
has a photo of the new Speed Racer Gift
Set. Here is a link to the picture:
Speed Racer Gift Set.
This gift set should be available in March 2008 for around $40. Looks
like they are finally using a articulated body with the new Ken head mold!
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Guy Time™ Fashions
Ken has a new fashion line
called Guy Time™! I found 3 new fashions under this label at TRU this
weekend! They use the new logo pop art that is the same image used on the
Fashion Fever Ken (Third
Edition) (see story below) box.
This is probably the best thing
that has happened all year! For now, enjoy the new fashions, the return of
fashions with the Ken® trademark and a specific male fashion line!
Anyway, here are some links of
all three of the fashions: Guy Time Fashion #L9797,
Guy Time Fashion #L9798 and Guy
Time Fashion #L9799.
I think I saw another fashion
from pictures on another website, maybe a set (like those big Fashion Fever
sets with several pieces), but I'm not sure? I'll look into that...
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PICTURED ABOVE:
New logo pop art. |
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Fashion Fever Ken (Third
Edition) |
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Imagine
my surprise when I went into Toys R Us and found a brand new Ken
doll I wasn't even expecting!
Fashion Fever Ken
(Third Edition) was there with a bunch of new articulated
female dolls which included Barbie, Teresa, Nikki, Raquelle and
Summer. Finally, some more articulated dolls, but alas, poor
Ken isn't articulated. That really stinks, because we at the
point of practically begging for another articulated Ken doll and
we get stuck with another doll with the same body and those PTR
arms. Why articulate all the female dolls and not the sole
male doll? I am sure however collectors will be happy to see new
articulation on the female dolls, and a return to the normal body!
This doll is pretty neat however,
and I'll take it as my one Holiday "surprise". He is of
course probably one in a case pack of 12 (or more), so find him if
you can. He is $9.99 and was the only one on the shelf! His
sunglasses are a bit askew, as you can see in the picture.
On the back of the box we see Ken
doll's "fashion motto" and discover his favorite color is "ocean
blue". The box side also has some awesome pop art of him.
LOVE that! Follow the link above to see the box art. I LOVE
surprises, and this made my shopping day that much better! |
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Surf's Up Beach Ken and Steven
pinkponytail.com has pictures of the new
Surf's-Up Beach Ken and Steven dolls on the site! (Pictured below).
I haven't found Steven yet, but I have added Ken to the
Keeping Ken The Millennium Era 2 2006-Beyond
page.
It's the most glamorous beach party ever and Ken® and Steven dolls are
cool in the latest sporty beach fashion, hanging out with friends.
Both dolls wears hip shorts and a short sleeve button down shirt.
Comes with a cool friendship bracelet.
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Surf's-Up™ Ken® 2007
L9548 |
Surf's-Up™ Steven® 2007
L9549 |
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And here are some pictures of the European
version of Tommy model #L4379. This new
version of Tommy should be available here in the US in the Kelly line.
Thanks to Erik in Germany for sending these! |
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Keeping
Ken
KEN NEWS COLUMN!
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Please submit questions to
mailto:jef@manbehindthedoll.com and have them answered here.
Due to the volume of mail received, I cannot respond to individual
e-mails sent to "Ask Keeping Ken".
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For previous columns, visit the
Ask Keeping Ken Archives
| Q:
I found this booklet that has some Ken® fashions in it that I
have never seen before. Can you give me some insight as to
where these are from?-Barb
A:
This fashion booklet was
included in the Ken® dolls made by Industrias Rotoplast under
license from Mattel in Venezuela in the late 1980's. I have
three of these versions Olimpico Ken,
Jean Ken and
Llanero Ken and all of the have the same booklet, which I have
pictured on this page:
Venezuela Ken Fashion Booklet.
I would think if you could locate
any of them it would be an amazing find, since I have never
personally seen any of the six pictured. It took me forever
to even acquire the thee dolls!
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| Q:
Love your site...I just bought a Ken® shirt on Ebay that I
can't find in any of the books. Mod era, long sleeve with the Ken®
label -- pink, orange, turquoise and chartreuse floral,
almost Peter Max print...any ideas?-Steve
A:
I
believe the shirt is a variation used in 1972
Casual Cords #1717 outfit. The fabric originated in 1971
Festival Fashion Barbie®
outfit. (Thanks to Joe Blitman for help on this one) |
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Q:
Can you tell me who this
doll is (pictured left). On another site it said Happy Family
neighbor doll, but I have never seen this doll before. Can you
tell me if we could buy this doll here in the states or is this a
foreign doll?-Fiyas
A:
It looks like a redressed "New
Neighbors" Dad From the Happy Family "Sounds Like Home Smart
House". This set included a house play set and 4 dolls: Dad,
Mom, Kelly sized Daughter and Krissy sized baby. It was available
in small quantities at Toys R Us domestically.
Even though Mattel officially
discontinued the Happy Family line by the time this was released,
this Dad doll was also supposed to be available as a Happy
Neighbors Dad and Daughter set, but never made it to store shelves
when a "New Neighbors" Mom and Baby set was released in Spring
2005. His only appearance is in this Toys R Us Sounds Like
Home Smart House Gift Set priced at $80, so in order to get him,
you had to buy the whole gift set. |
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Photos
courtesy of
Li'l Friends
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Keeping Ken
COMING SOON!
Looks like Mattel's 2008
reproduction line will be a "Campus" theme called Campus Queen.
I so guessed that a month ago when Campus Sweetheart Barbie doll was
announced. Sandi Holder has posted prototype pictures of two gift
sets, one featuring Ken and Barbie and the other featuring Allan and Midge.
Ken is wearing
Touchdown #799 with
Barbie in Cheerleader. Allan will be wearing
Campus Hero #770
with Midge in Swinging Easy. Link to the pictures on Sandi's site
HERE.
Like this year's dolls which
used the vintage "Barbie Dream House" rooms as backdrops for the packaging,
2008 dolls will probably be packaged using backdrops from the vintage
"Barbie Goes To College" play set. Ken and Barbie are shown against
the Stadium backdrop and Allan and Midge are shown with the Sweet Shop back
drop. That leaves three other possible back drops, the drive-in
theater, the dorm room and the outdoor campus. Where will the Campus
Sweetheart Barbie doll fit in? (My guess is in the Campus back drop). And
what other dolls may be planned for the remaining backdrops?? Look below and
make your guess.
My guess is Barbie Doll
Nighty Negligee Set #965 for the Dorm Room and I'm leaving my ideas open
for yet another Barbie and Ken gift set for the drive-in, although the
practical side of me says this will be a series of four. Email me your
thoughts and I'll post them here :)
Oh, and my reproduction
predictions for 2009 are a revisit of the "Little Theatre" play set.
Barbie Goes To College Play
Set
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Keeping Ken
DISNEY DOLLS!
PICTURED ABOVE:
Aladdin doll from the
Disney Princess Jasmine Aladdin Enchanted
Tales Gift Set with the
the new PTS arms. RIGHT:
Disney Enchanted Princess Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip Gift Set
at Target. |
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Normally, I don't post
news about the Mattel Disney dolls, but you have to hear this
news...NEW arm molds are appearing on the male dolls! Matt sent
me this picture of the new Aladdin doll from the
Disney Princess Jasmine
Aladdin Enchanted Tales Gift Set
with the the new arms that are PTS (Point To Side) and are much more
muscular than the old PTS arms that we haven't seen in ages!
I also saw these arms on the new
Disney Enchanted Princess Sleeping Beauty
and Prince Phillip Gift Set at Target. I will
probably get that set since Prince Phillip is my favorite Disney
Prince. He looks really good, her head is three times bigger
than his, so she will have to go.
Hopefully we will see these arms make
their way to Ken doll soon. At least they are way better than
the PTR (Point To Rear) arms we continue to see used.
Other male dolls include the
Disney Movie, "Enchanted"
Robert
Phillips character doll (the actor in the movie who plays him is
Patrick Dempsey of "Grey's Anatomy" fame).
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Keeping Ken
NEW DOLLS!
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Barbie as The
Island Princess PRINCE ANTONIO Doll
PICTURED ABOVE:
Barbie as The Island Princess Prince Antonio Doll.
PICTURED RIGHT:
Here is what the Prince Antonio Doll might have looked like if he was
produced with rooted hair, from the cover of this Random House
Books for Young Readers.
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Barbie doll stars in
Barbieª as The Island Princess DVD that will be released on
September 18, 2007. This time, Barbie¨ is shipwrecked on an island
where she is brought up by an adorable red panda, a curious elephant,
and a beautiful peacock. But when a handsome prince rescues her and
brings her back to civilization, Barbie¨ must choose between true love
and her animal friends. This line was shown at Toy Fair 2007
HERE and also
HERE. The
Barbie as The Island Princess Prince
Antonio Doll does not use the Ken® trademark name and features
molded hair, which hasn't been seen for awhile. The head mold is
marked "©2005 2006 MATTEL, Inc.", which makes it another NEW head mold
and most likely means it is a molded hair modification of the 2005 Ken
head mold used most recently on Beach Glam Ken.
There is also a
Barbie as The Island Princess
Prince Antonio Doll AA doll which uses a new painted hair head
mold!
I like the molded hair molds every
once in awhile, and I really like this doll, despite other
collectors grumblings. And for you grumblers, I found this
picture below of what the Caucasian version might have looked like with rooted hair (and
the addition of a shirt with jewelry added under the tunic top) on the
cover of Barbie as the Island Princess: A Storybook coming out
as a Movie or Television Tie-In; Juvenile Fiction by Random House
Books for Young Readers (pictured below). The book comes out
August 14, 2007 for $3.99. Which version do you like better?
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High School Musical 2
Brad has sent me some great pictures
of Disney's High School Musical 2 Troy Doll
and Disney's High School Musical 2 Chad Doll.
In my search for these dolls, I found also a
Disney's High School Musical 2 Ryan Doll. Brad says they appear to
be on new bodies dated 1968. The height is about like a
Kevin doll, but the legs bend. The hip connections appear to
be like the current play line Barbie as they only move forward and
back and not out to the side. Not sure why the new dolls were
made shorter compared to the first singing ones. The arms pivot
at the shoulder. Toes are well defined.
Will sent me this picture of a deboxed
Ryan doll without the hat. I have had several requests for a
picture of Ryan without his hat on...so thanks Will for providing one
:) I've already chosen my favorite of this series and Ryan wins!
When I can find some time I will make a new
page for this line of dolls! |
SPECIAL REQUEST:
Disney's High School Musical 2 "Ryan" doll without the hat.
Photo courtesy of Will. |
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Keeping Ken
SITE UPDATES!
It was time to do some maintenance to the site! I am moving a lot of things, catching up and
archiving. Here are some tips when trying to find things you may be
looking for, and a few things to look forward to:
Keeping Ken
2007 CONVENTION!
Keeping Ken
IN PROGRESS!
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Call me crazy, but I'm
taking on the task of updating the Keeping Ken/Ken
Parts Department page, mostly for the large amount of "identify
my Ken" requests (and believe me, there are LOTS of requests per
month). UPDATE: You will see that I am almost
done including the actual head mold markings, and soon I will begin the
task of the body molds. I have already pre-purchased bifocals.
I may put out requests from you, dear readers, for particular dolls
that I don't have deboxed, especially when I start listing the body
molds. This task will be, in my opinion, monumental, but this
information has not yet been recorded, and it needs to be recorded, if
not for history, but to enhance the Ken doll collecting experience. |
Keeping Ken
NEW KEN DOLL!
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ALL of the new Wizard of
Oz Barbie
Collector Pink Label dolls are now available. I found all of the
dolls in the series (see story below) including the
The Wizard of Oz™ Winkie Guard Ken Doll &
Winged Monkey.
This particular doll was available later
in mid-April 2007 exclusively at KB Toys and Toys R Us. The Winkie Guard is
featured on a Ken Sculpt with the new wickedly green skin tone as on
the Wicked Witch of the West. You can follow the links below to see the
other WOZ Ken dolls.
The Ken dolls have also been added to the
Keeping Ken The Millennium Era 2 2006-Beyond page.
Winkie Guard Ken is more
expensive than the other dolls. He was $39.99 at Toys R Us.
In case you were
wondering, he is bald under that hat and he uses the newer
Blaine head mold...and yes, he is green
throughout. This will be the first time this head mold has been
used for a "Ken" brand doll. Although the Blaine head mold is
similar to the 2001 Ken Collectibles head mold, it is marked
differently on the back of the neck (see table below).
| 2001 Ken Collectibles |
2001
Blaine |
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TM/©
2001
MATTEL, INC. |
TM/© 2001 MATTEL, INC. |
PICTURED LEFT: The
Wizard of OZ Winkie Guard Ken doll. |
Keeping Ken
TOY FAIR 2007 NEWS!
ASM Magazine at
asmzine.com is again proving that they are
the web to watch for Toy Fair 2007 information! New male dolls were shown
that include a Prince doll shown in the Barbie as
The Island Princess collection
HERE and also
HERE. Next, a incredibly HOT Fashion
Fever Ken doll is pictured
HERE!!! The Disney's High School Musical
Troy and Gabriella Gift Set is pictured
HERE and again
HERE. Finally, we see
a male doll
from the future real person
Disney
Movie, "Enchanted".
This character's name is Robert Phillips and the actor in the movie who
plays him is Patrick Dempsey of "Grey's Anatomy" fame. The movie is due to
be in theaters in November 2007. See pictures
HERE and also
HERE.
And here is a Toy Fair scoop
(with LOADS of pictures) from BarbieZania of the
Barbie
Collector 2007 Doll Line!!
Keeping Ken
NEW KEN DOLLS!
A generic, groom
doll, called simply The Groom Doll that will not use the Ken®
trademark name. Two versions are available in Caucasian and
Black (pictured below). The prototype pictures of the Caucasian
doll shows bent arms, but as you can see in the pictures below, he has
the PTR arms. Thanks to Claudia at
PinkPonytail.com for the pictures of the prototype dolls, these are available for
pre-order on her site. And again thanks to Brad for his
contributions to this news and the FABULOUS photos of the actual doll
in the box! The Caucasian doll has now been listed on the
Keeping Ken The Millennium Era 2 2006-Beyond
page.
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THE GROOM DOLL & RING BEARER
Also, at Target stores,
The Groom Doll & Ring
Bearer Doll gift set is also appearing. I am unsure as to
whether an AA version will also be available. The Groom Doll is
identical to the single version, and the Ring Bearer wear a fashion
that is identical to The Groom. This set also includes a
child-size ring. Thanks to all of you who alerted me about this
set! This set is now listed on the Keeping Ken
The Millennium Era 2 2006-Beyond page. |
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THE GROOM DOLL
PICTURED ABOVE: The Groom Doll. |
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Keeping Ken
ZAC POSEN!
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The HIGHLY anticipated
Barbie Collector Platinum Label and FAO Schwarz SSE
Zac Posen Barbie and Ken
Giftset has arrived! I took a picture of Ken as Zac to the right.
I will have a special report, more pictures and more info later
here, and on the Keeping Ken Identifier
Gift Sets page so check back soon!
Until then, you can
see another interior picture including Barbie at the
Zac Posen Barbie
and Ken Giftset page.
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| Thanks to a little
investigative work from Omar, he found this listing on this site
for a listing for a new foreign version of Prince Ken doll. The
best translated description says (thanks to Charles): "Barbie
Prince Ken--A prince in royal garb with shining trousers and noble
tunic with belt. He wears a crown, high boots, and has a rose for his
Barbie Princess Sleeping Beauty."
The Prince Ken most likely goes together with
Barbie as Sleeping Beauty. Charles added this about the
Barbie doll:
It has an open/close eye feature like the
1998 Sleeping Beauty doll. The description says its eyes open and
close with a rose-shaped wand, but I don't know if it's referring to
the rose Prince Ken comes with or if the Barbie doll comes with one
too. I can only find these dolls on German websites so I don't know
what she's called in English, but in German she's called "Barbie als
Märchenschlaf Dornröschen", which means "Barbie as [something]
Sleeping Beauty". "Märchen" means "fairy tale" and "Shlaf" means
"sleep". I don't know how that would be translated into English
though.
Available starting from 48. KW. Price: UVP 12.99 EUR
Thanks for this news Omar and Charles!
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PICTURED ABOVE: Foreign Editions
Barbie Prinz Ken (LEFT) and Barbie als Märchenschlaf Dornröschen
(RIGHT). |
Keeping Ken
NEW FASHION FEVER KEN &
FASHIONS!
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Thanks to Brad for
his contributions to this news and the FABULOUS photos!
Finally...Ken has been
added to the newly designed Fashion
Fever doll line. The new design features boxes instead of
the tubes (minus stands) and the use of doll names again. Two
versions of Barbie plus Teresa, Ken, Summer, Nikki, and Raquelle. The
boxes not only identify the dolls on the back, but give us a few words
that describe their personalities. The Barbie and Teresa dolls are the
most numerous, and there are only two units of Ken, Summer, and Nikki
in the case pack. Ken is
complete
wearing a graphic hoodie, frayed leg denim jeans, black with metallic
trim messenger bag, and slip on style sneakers. The box is marked
2006, but this doll is part of the 2007 collection.
Not
without controversy, the female dolls are now shorter in stature,
making the heads look disproportionate to the new body size. You
can see a picture of the size difference her in this Fashion Fever
Board discussion link:
http://www.fashionfeverbarbies.com/.
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BELOW: 2007
Fashion Fever Ken. Photos by Brad.
These new 2007 editions are only appearing so far at Toys R Us, giving
you a GREAT reason to get your play line dolls there instead of
Wal-Mart. |
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Keeping Ken
COLLECTOR NEWS!
The Gold Label
45th Anniversary Ken doll
is here!! The classic
Vintage reproduction doll...a 45th Anniversary Ken, that is a
reproduction of a brunette Flock Hair Ken
arrived today!!
I have taken some photos comparing him
to my NRFB Vintage brunette Flock Hair Ken doll. As you can see,
Mattel did a nice job on the reproduction doll. The only
improvement could have been on the flocking pattern application on the
sides above the sideburns (see the top photo). My Vintage doll
has a slight indentation in the pattern while the reproduction doll's
is straight. The box sizes are also very different The
reproduction is much larger), and the graphics on the reproduction box
don't "pop" as well as the Vintage box graphics. The wristband
is also a reverse coloration of the original. More photos here:
45th Anniversary Ken.
The reproduction includes a certificate
of authenticity as well as a "Ken" Collector Card, plus the box offers
some nice text about Ken doll's history. Inside the box top is
an additional feature showing Ken dolls throughout each era.
This is an OUTSTANDING reproduction doll!! And this doll retails at
only $25, so I recommend you get one while you can, as many collectors
(like me) are buying in bulk! I will add this doll to the listings
page soon. My hats off to Bill greening at Mattel who has done
an amazing job of recreating not only an amazing reproduction of Flock
Hair Ken, but for presenting this doll in a completely tasteful way!!
If there is just one doll that you must absolutely have this year,
this one is it!
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Pictured Left:
Vintage Flock Hair Ken doll. RIGHT: Reproduction 45th
Anniversary Ken doll. BELOW: Side-by-side comparison
showing the box size difference. |
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More exciting news... also due any day
now is a Vintage reproduction gift set with another reproduction Ken
and Barbie called
Friday Night Dream Date™ Barbie® Doll and Ken® Doll Giftset,
also a
Gold Label vintage reproduction gift set. This gift set features
a blonde reproduction
Flock Hair Ken and Ken doll's 1961 fashion
Dream Boat #785...plus a replica "Barbie Sings""
record folder including a CD reproduction of the original 45RPM
record! This has now been listed on the Keeping
Ken Identifier Gift Sets page. Quick link for pictures at
Friday Night Dream Date
Gift Set (Barbie and Ken).
My first
Friday Night Dream Date™ Barbie® Doll and Ken® Doll Giftset
came SMASHED, courtesy of UPS. The box was so damaged that
Barbie was sideways in the box...but bless her heart she was still
hanging on to that tray of milkshakes. This, I guess, gave me
the opportunity to order another one so I could keep the next one I
ordered NRFB. So I deboxed the smashed one for display and to
listen to the replica "Barbie Sings"" CD reproduction of the
original 45RPM record. It alone was worth the purchase.
Who doesn't want to hear Ken doll croon (remember hew sings in this
too). Ken dolls fashion reproduction of Dream
Boat #785 is well done, but I was a bit disappointed that the
crease detail on the pants was missed. Another HUGE
disappointment is that the hat is attached to the doll's head, which
in turn makes a small hole in the middle of Ken doll's forehead.
I know from hearing from the discussion on that matter that Mattel
probably won't be attaching hats to doll's heads into the future,
because in this one instance, it has pretty much damaged the doll,
unless you plan on keeping the hat there. Both of the sets I
received have this noticeable hole where the needle holding the
plastic attacher entered poor Ken doll's forehead. But let's
forge on from this mistake and take heed to this utterly FABULOUS
reproduction, because these innocent flaws don't detract from the
overall reproduction!
I will be adding the
Friday Night Dream Date™ Barbie® Doll and Ken® Doll Giftset to the
Keeping Ken Identifier Gift Sets page in
the next update.
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PICTURED ABOVE: 45th
Anniversary Ken promo photo. PICTURED RIGHT:
Friday Night Dream Date™ Barbie® Doll and Ken® Doll Giftset promo
photo. |
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