Funky Magic Ken is a toy doll that was introduced in the late 1990s as a counterpart to the popular Barbie doll. Unlike the typical Ken dolls, which often had a clean-cut and preppy appearance, Funky Magic Ken was designed to be more edgy, trendy, and unconventional. Funky Magic Ken quickly gained attention and became a cultural phenomenon due to his unique style and fashion choices. He was known for his colorful outfits, which included vibrant patterned shirts, baggy jeans, and funky accessories like sunglasses and hats. His hair was often styled in an unconventional manner, with wild spikes or colorful streaks. One of the key features that set Funky Magic Ken apart from other dolls was his ability to perform "magic" tricks.
The toy company Mattel introduced the Earring Magic Ken doll in the early 1990s as one of six dolls in the Earring Magic Barbie collection. Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images/Julius Seelbach/Flickr/CC BY 2.0
It s assumed then that someone working for Mattel had seen a bunch shredded gay men wearing cock rings about their person and assumed that it was just a cool fashion accessory popular with tanned men who worked out a lot. Mattel absolutely hated this and vehemently denied in interviews that Ken was gay, responding to requests for comment from magazines and newspapers with a stock response about Ken being straight.
One of the key features that set Funky Magic Ken apart from other dolls was his ability to perform "magic" tricks. The doll came with various props and accessories that allowed kids to create their own magical moments and illusions. Some of the tricks included card tricks, disappearing coins, and even levitating objects.
That time Mattel accidentally made Ken gay
For decades Mattel has struggled to sell Ken dolls to little girls who’ve repeatedly had to explain to baffled Mattel executives that they simply don’t think he looks cool. When Mattel tried to address this in the 90’s they inadvertently made him look super gay. Much to amusement of the gay community.
Dubbed Earring Magic Ken, the doll was a failed attempt on behalf of Mattel to reinvent Barbie’s boyfriend after sales data indicated that nobody really gave all that much of a shit about him. The story goes that the company became somewhat desperate in the early 1990’s when they realised that little girls weren’t playing with Ken dolls even though they tried to market him as Barbie’s girlfriend. Which makes sense, why would little girls make Barbie date a loser like Ken when they could just raid their brothers toy box and have her date Cobra Commander or a stone badass like Action Man.
Did Ken have his own PlayStation game?
So Mattel asked a bunch of girls what they disliked about Ken and floated the idea of perhaps replacing him with another doll, in effect asking by proxy if Barbie should dump his ass. To Mattel’s surprise, little girls did like Ken, but most responded that they’d probably play the doll more if he looked, and we quote, “a little cooler“.
The problem was nobody working for Mattel at the time had any idea what 90’s era cool guys looked like, so they decided to remedy that by paying someone to do a little research. According to an oft repeated, possibly apocryphal story, this research involved attending a bunch of raves. Mattel would later deny this, but take a long hard look at Ken’s outfit and tell us he wouldn’t look right at home throwing shapes at a warehouse playing thumping techno music.
One thing in particular gay people singled out about Ken’s outfit was his necklace, which neither the box nor Mattel’s executives seemed sure of the function of at the time of the doll’s release. Gay people sure as hell did though and hundreds of gay commentators were quick to point out the the necklace was clearly a cock ring.
You see, it was en vogue back then for gay men to express their sexuality by wearing a cock ring on their clothes, there was even a subtle code gay men could use to express just what they were into in the bedroom. Before long a cock ring was the go-to fashion accessory in the LBGT community and nearly everyone was wearing one. It’s assumed then that someone working for Mattel had seen a bunch shredded gay men wearing cock rings about their person and assumed that it was just a cool fashion accessory popular with tanned men who worked out a lot. It wasn’t. It was a gay thing that made Ken look really, really gay.
Mattel’s primary audience for the doll were largely indifferent to Ken’s new look, which didn’t stop it from becoming the best-selling Ken doll ever produced. A fact that’s kind of impressive when you realise Earring Magic Ken was only in stores for 6 weeks. Gay men cleared out stock of the doll at every toy store in America and thousands more sent tongue-in-cheek letters of thanks to Mattel about how they were loving the new, more fabulous Ken.
Mattel absolutely hated this and vehemently denied in interviews that Ken was gay, responding to requests for comment from magazines and newspapers with a stock response about Ken being straight.
When pressed for comment, Mattel’s head of marketing and communications, Lisa McKendall got incredibly irate about the Ken’s new look, angrily telling an interviewer for the Chicago Reader:
“We’re not in the business of putting cock rings into the hands of little girls.”
Unwilling to endure the ridicule, Magic Earring Ken was quietly pulled from stores making it even more popular because in addition to being known as “the gay Ken” the doll was now a highly sought after collectors item. Hilariously, Mattel is still salty about everyone calling Magic Earring Ken gay and the company refuses to discuss how many of the dolls they sold. Presumably because they’d be forced to admit that Ken was more popular when everyone thought he liked fucking dudes.
Savage certainly doesn’t think Mattel set out to equip Ken with a cock ring: He initially suggests that in the quest for a fashionable party outfit, Mattel designers took pictures of people at nightclubs and translated their outfits into a doll design. “On closer inspection, Ken’s entire Earring Magic outfit turns out to be three-year-old rave wear,” he wrote. And he describes chrome cock ring necklaces — which is to say, necklaces exactly like the one on Earring Magic Ken — as “de rigueur rave wear” for the era.
This interactive element added an extra layer of excitement and entertainment to playtime. Funky Magic Ken also stood out from other dolls in terms of his diversity and inclusivity. The doll was available in a range of skin tones, hair colors, and eye colors, allowing children to choose a doll that looked more like them or represented their desired style. This was a significant step forward in promoting diversity and representation in the doll industry. Although Funky Magic Ken had a relatively short lifespan in the toy market, his impact and influence were significant. The doll challenged traditional gender norms and stereotypes by breaking away from the traditional image of Ken as a handsome and conventional "boyfriend" for Barbie. Instead, Funky Magic Ken embraced individuality, creativity, and self-expression, encouraging children to celebrate their uniqueness and embrace their own sense of style. In conclusion, Funky Magic Ken was a beloved toy doll that captured the imagination of children and challenged societal expectations. With his funky fashion choices, magical tricks, and inclusive representation, he left a lasting impact on the toy industry and became a symbol of individuality and self-expression..
Reviews for "Magic Ken's Funky Tribe: A Look at the Diverse Community of Fans"
1. John - 1/5 stars - I was extremely disappointed with the Funky Magic Ken doll. The description led me to believe that it would actually perform some cool magic tricks, but all it did was flick its wrist and make some lights flash. The presentation was lackluster and the magic tricks were nothing more than basic illusions that any beginner magician could perform. Overall, I found the Funky Magic Ken to be a complete waste of money and would not recommend it to anyone looking for an actual magic toy.
2. Sarah - 2/5 stars - As a fan of magic and collecting Ken dolls, I was excited to try out the Funky Magic Ken. However, I was left feeling underwhelmed by its limited features and overall performance. The tricks were repetitive and the doll's movements were jerky and not smooth at all. Additionally, the quality of the materials used felt cheap and easily breakable. While the concept of a magic Ken doll is interesting, this particular product failed to deliver a truly magical experience.
3. Emily - 2/5 stars - The Funky Magic Ken doll failed to meet my expectations. The packaging made it seem like this doll had some amazing tricks up its sleeve, but in reality, it was just a regular doll with some basic light effects. The instructions were confusing, and even after figuring them out, the tricks were unimpressive and repetitive. I would not recommend this doll to anyone looking for a truly magical and entertaining toy. Save your money and invest in something more worthwhile.