Hoping to draw in more customers in the early ’90s, Mattel interviewed 5-year-old girls to find the perfect new style for Ken that would have them begging their parents to make a new purchase. Influenced by the flashy music videos they saw on MTV featuring artists like Prince and Madonna’s backup dancers, the girls had a very specific idea of what they considered “cool” for men’s attire.
In response to the girls’ wishes, the toy company launched “Earring Magic Ken” in 1993 – complete with a purple mesh shirt, tight black jeans, and purple leather vest. To accentuate his outfit, Ken had an earring in his left ear (something considered risque for men in the ’90s) and a silver chain with a ring attached that allowed Ken to share the life-size earrings designed for the purchaser. Although Mattel claimed the company was catering only to young girls, the doll instantly became an icon among the LGBTQ+ community. According to journalist and podcaster Dan Savage:
“He’s (Ken) always read gay… but has he ever read gayer than he did with a gay sex toy around his neck?… It was hilarious that they thought the earring was going to be the headline-making aspect of Ken’s new look… Queer Ken is the high watermark of, depending on your point of view, either queer infiltration of popular culture or the thoughtless appropriation of queer culture by heterosexuals.”
Though the fashion statement isn’t as prevalent in the community now as it was in the early ’90s, gay men of the era often wore ring-shaped sex toys as necklaces, zipper pulls, and bracelets as both a statement piece and to communicate sexual preferences. The doll was eventually pulled from shelves, but that didn’t stop Mattel from making a similar move in 2009, when the company launched “Sugar Daddy Ken.” With graying hair, a Palm Beach-style green blazer, and a small white dog tethered to a pink leash named “Sugar,” the doll stirred attention. Though the toy company issued a statement explaining that the dog’s name was Sugar and Ken was, in fact, Sugar’s daddy, the doll was discontinued in 2012. H/T>
While ‘Queer Ken’ may have been an accidental gay icon, he wasn’t the first gay doll. That honor goes to Gay Bob, who you can read about here >
