What's The Real Name Of Ken Doll? The Truth About Barbie's Dreamy BF Is Out Ahead Of His 65th B'Day

Mattel's Ken Doll was first introduced in 1961, and since then, the coiffed doll has sent ripples among fans, which we can easily tag as Ken-ergy. 'Barbie's dreamy beau is all set to celebrate its 65th birthday, and ahead of that, fans are getting more information about him, including his real name. From being 'Barbie's beau for over a decade and then coming to life with Ryan Gosling playing his role, 'Ken' has had several hats over his head, but as he is now turning 65, as per the company, he needs to see 'what else is out there'. Ahead of his 65th birthday, his real name got revealed, so what's that? Let's have a look!

What is Mattel's Ken Doll's real name?

For the unversed, 'Barbie' was inspired by Mattel co-founders Ruth Handler and Elliot Handler's daughter, Barbara. Similarly, 'Ken' has been inspired by Kenneth Handler, the son of Ruth Handler and Elliot Handler. So, 'Ken's real name is Kenneth Handler, and although the coiffed doll was inspired by Ruth and Elliot's son, the doll had several differences.

Kenneth, in real life, worked as a real-estate investor in NYC, and talking about how he's far from 'Ken', he told the Los Angeles Times that the doll is Malibu, who goes to the beach and surfs and the perfect American things, while he, in real life, used to play piano, and would go to movies that had subtitles. Kenneth further added in the interview that all the girls used to think that he was a jerk, and he used to be a nerd. Kenneth could be quoted as saying: 

"Ken doll is Malibu. He goes to the beach and surfs. He is all these perfect American things. I played the piano and went to movies with subtitles. I was a nerd — a real nerd. All the girls thought I was a jerk."

'Barbie' and 'Ken' are the most picturesque couple

'Barbie' and 'Ken' are truly the most picturesque, and there's no 'Ken' without 'Barbie' and vice versa. During the 1961 commercial, which introduced 'Ken', it was explained that 'Barbie' felt that night was meant to be special, and exactly on that night, she met her dream beau, and from that moment, she knew that they were going to be together.

While they were the perfect couple, it didn't mean their relationship didn't have downs, and it wasn't until nearly four years of dating that they briefly broke up. However, 'Ken' was on billboards, proclaiming his love for the love of his life, 'Barbie'. Mettel had this campaign of the couple reuniting just ahead of 2011 Valentine's Day, with senior vice president of global marketing for girls' brands Stephanie Cota, saying:

"The iconic couple is truly made for each other and this is just the beginning of their next chapter together." 

'Ken's 65th birthday

Over the years since its debut in 1961, 'Ken' has sent Kenergy through Malibu, and he has continuously been evolving. In 2025, Kenbassadors Collection was launched, and this year, Ken collaborated with travel company Expedia. 'Ken' is up for Kenventures, and that's too, 65 new ones.

What do you think about Ken's 65th birthday?

Also Read: Meet Jillian Dempsey, Wife Of Patrick Dempsey, Married For 27 Years, Almost Got Divorced

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