The Earring Magic Ken doll is a significant and controversial artifact from the 1990s. Released by Mattel in 1993, this doll was intended to appeal to a more fashionable and diverse audience. The doll featured a light purple mesh shirt, a vest with a multicolored design, and a pair of denim shorts. However, what caused the most uproar was the doll's earring. For the first time, a mainstream toy aimed at boys had an earring, challenging traditional gender norms and sparking debates about sexuality and gender expression. The earring on the doll's left ear was a small, silver hoop and became the focal point for much of the controversy surrounding the doll.
When Barbie makes her return to Weird Barbie's Dreamhouse, she's greeted by yet another strange sight: a life-sized toy yellow Labrador dropping spheres of brown "poop" all over the floor. Turns out, this is another callback to the Barbie vault.
Released in 2009 and possible proof that there wasn t a single member of the LGBTQ community working in Mattel marketing at the time, Sugar Daddy Ken was released in 2009 as part of Barbie s Palm Beach line, and came with a dapper suit, floral swim trucks and a West Highland Terrier puppy. Margot Robbie s Stereotypical Barbie is introduced to some of the less-popular members of the Barbie doll canon when her existential crisis has her returning to Weird Barbie s Kate McKinnon house, lamenting the way her fellow beautiful Barbies have been brainwashed into complacency by the Kens.
The earring on the doll's left ear was a small, silver hoop and became the focal point for much of the controversy surrounding the doll. Conservative groups saw the Earring Magic Ken doll as a threat to traditional masculinity. Concerns were raised about the potential influence on young boys and their understanding of gender roles.
Introducing Earring Magic Ken! He’s wearing a what as a necklace?
Last month, after a week of bidding I acquired one Earring Magic Ken doll. Mattel’s best selling Ken doll.
I know what you might be thinking. Thomas you are an adult, why on earth are you buying a Ken doll? And moreover why is that relevant to your blog?
Disregarding the fact, that I still have several Barbies from when I was a young lass. Earring Magic Ken is special, because he was inadvertently designed off of queer rave fashion of the early 1990s. Specifically, he’s wearing a cock ring as a necklace, which was a known queer fashion statement at the time.
Earring Magic Ken
After reaching out to their audience of young children Mattel learned they would like a new Ken doll to be cooler and more hip. So they went out looking for what was cool and as it happened the queer fashion worming its way into the mainstream was what they picked up as cool. Columnist Dan Savage wrote an article in 1993, the year the doll came out, detailing a really excellent explanation of what was going on. I would highly recommend it as reading for anyone interested in learning more.
“Cock rings exploded (ouch!)—as vest zipper pulls, as key rings, as bracelets; rubber ones, leather ones, chain ones. But the thick chrome variety, the Classic Coke of cock rings, was and is most often worn as a pendant,” (Savage).
In 2017, Savage said in an article by Bryan Young, that he thought the “Earring Magic Ken incident [was] more of an amusing cultural blip than some kind of important moment, noting that neither the doll nor the hubbub is well-known today,” and that he didn’t think that a gay man under 40 would know about it. Well, it’s 2019 and I’m 25, so here we are.
Now I’m a queer historian so I am well aware that I’m an outlier here, because I seek out this kind of stuff. However, I discovered Earring Magic Ken through a decently popular post on Tumblr. A post which currently has over 270,000 notes. That’s no small amount of people and I’m sure many of them, like myself, are on the younger side of things. With projects like Making Queer History and books like “Queer, There and Everywhere” emerging, younger members of the LGBTQ community are getting more and more access to their history. As a result, fascinating tidbits like Earring Magic Ken are resurfacing.
The Tumblr post does admittedly have some misinformation attached to it. There’s a reblog that says that there was no corresponding Barbie for Earring Magic Ken. There were two actually, a blonde and a brunette Barbie as well as a Midge doll, they just didn’t sell particularly well opposite Ken, who flew off the shelves.
Below, I have linked two different iterations of the Tumblr post, as well as a link to the Dan Savage article, the Bryan Young article and a few others.
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On the other hand, many praised the doll for promoting inclusivity and breaking down stereotypes. They argued that boys should be able to express themselves and their style choices without judgment. The controversy surrounding Earring Magic Ken reached its peak when an article by author Peggy Orenstein coined the term "gay doll" to refer to the doll, suggesting that Mattel was inadvertently promoting LGBTQ+ identities. This labeling caused further divisions and fueled the ongoing debate. Despite the controversy, the doll achieved commercial success, becoming a collector's item for many. Nowadays, it is often seen as a symbol of the evolving understanding and acceptance of diverse expression, even if unintentional on the part of the manufacturer. In retrospect, the Earring Magic Ken doll serves as a reminder of the cultural unease and progressive movements of the 1990s. It represents a time when discussions around gender expression and identity were gaining momentum. Although the doll may not be seen as revolutionary by today's standards, it played a small but significant role in challenging traditional gender stereotypes and opening up new conversations about the meaning of masculinity..
Reviews for "The Earing Magoc Ken Doll: Your New Fashion Bestie"
1. Sarah - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with the Earing Magoc Ken Doll. Firstly, the quality of the doll itself was subpar. The clothes and accessories were flimsy and not well-made. Additionally, the magical earrings promised in the advertisement were nothing more than a cheap plastic piece that easily broke. The overall concept of the doll was interesting, but the execution fell short. I expected better from a brand like Mattel.
2. John - 1/5 - Earing Magoc Ken Doll was a complete waste of money. The doll's features were not as advertised. The so-called "magical earrings" did not do anything. It was just a regular doll with no special functions or interactive elements. The quality of the doll was also disappointing. It felt cheap and easily broke after minimal play. I would not recommend this doll to anyone.
3. Melissa - 2/5 - The Earing Magoc Ken Doll did not live up to my expectations. The main issue was the lack of instruction or explanation on how to make the earrings work. It was frustrating to spend time trying to figure it out and failing. Moreover, once I finally understood how they were supposed to work, they were still underwhelming. The effect was barely noticeable and definitely not worth the price. Overall, the doll felt like a gimmick rather than a quality toy.
4. David - 1/5 - I purchased the Earing Magoc Ken Doll for my niece's birthday, and it turned out to be a huge disappointment. The packaging itself was misleading, as it made the doll appear much more interactive and exciting than it actually was. The earrings were supposed to have some kind of magical feature, but they did absolutely nothing. It was a huge letdown for my niece and a waste of money for me. I would not recommend this doll to anyone looking for a fun and interactive toy.