Earring Magic Ken Doll

Magic Earring Ken Doll, Mattel, 1993, Plastic, 13 x 5.2 x 2.4 inches

Earring Magic Ken belonged to a line of six Earring Magic Barbie dolls that came out in 1993; its biggest audience was not the young girls that Barbie dolls were typically aimed towards, but instead the kitsch-minded gay community. Certain aspects of Ken’s new look including the earring in his left ear, the mesh purple shirt and the necklace (which most recognize as a chrome cock ring) reflected rave wear, especially that worn by the queer community in the early 90s. Previous versions of the Ken doll represented the epitome of heterosexual masculinity to pair with Barbie’s femininity.  Although Mattel repeatedly remained quiet in terms of Ken’s sexuality, many belonging to the queer community found Ken’s makeover much too obvious for the makers to have been clueless