Ken dolls get a much-needed diversity makeover from Mattel

Mattel launched a new line of Ken Dolls as a continuation of the company’s #TheDollEvolves campaign.

Last year, Mattel gave Barbie a body-positive makeover in an attempt to regain declining sales. Now customizable in size, skin color, and hair style, Barbie seeks to represent every girl. Today, Mattel announced that its Ken dolls are getting the same treatment.

Fifteen new Ken dolls have joined the Barbie Fashionistas line. Like their Barbie counterparts, they feature different sizes, skin colors, hair colors, and hair textures.

Senior Vice President and General Manager of Barbie, Lisa McKnight, said, “Evolving Ken was a natural evolution for the brand and allows girls to further personalize the role they want him to play in Barbie’s world.” She also said the company is “redefining” what its dolls look like.

As someone who once owned at least a dozen Barbie dolls at any given time, it’s refreshing to see Mattel catering to a larger audience.

However, some issues remain.

Although Mattel’s Barbie Fashionistas line features diverse Barbie and Ken Dolls, the facial features on the dolls are still pretty similar. By continuing to perpetuate these beauty standards even on dolls with different skin tones, Mattel contributes to ongoing issues surrounding the intersection of race and beauty. It promotes the idea that Barbie of any skin color is beautiful — as long as she still has those features. It’s something Mattel can absolutely do better on moving forward.

Furthermore, the company is apparently still marketing itself exclusively to young girls. Efforts to make toys less gender-segregated have been spearheaded by organizations like UK-based Let Toys Be Toys. As understanding of gender evolves, marketing toys to binary genders doesn’t make sense. If Mattel is aiming to diversify its toy line and appeal to a larger market, the company should keep that in mind.

Barbie and Ken dolls that look more like the children begging for them for their birthdays is a great start. What about dolls that don’t conform to traditional gender stereotypes? How can Mattel appeal to children of all genders, both in its toy creation and in its marketing? Giving Ken Dolls buns breaks down some barriers, but not if Mattel insists on calling the style a “manbun”, and not if only some Ken Dolls can rock it.

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Mattel has a long way to go before its Barbie and Ken Dolls are completely inclusive, but it appears to be taking steps in the right direction. After almost 60 years, it’s about time.