Barbie and Ken are two of the most iconic dolls in history, known for their glamorous looks and storybook romance. However, some have speculated that the famous doll couple may actually be based on siblings rather than lovers. Let’s take a closer look at the origins and history of Barbie and Ken to see if there’s any truth to this theory.
The Creation of Barbie
Barbie was created in 1959 by Ruth Handler, co-founder of the toy company Mattel, Inc. Handler got the idea for Barbie after watching her young daughter Barbara play with paper dolls. Barbara and her friends would often act out make-believe stories with adult doll characters, imagining they were going on dates, getting married, and living glamorous lives.
This sparked Handler to realize there was a gap in the toy market – at the time, most dolls for girls were baby dolls. Handler wanted to create a fashion doll that would allow girls to imagine themselves as adult women with careers and romantic relationships. Mattel hired designer Charlotte Johnson to create Barbie, naming the doll after Handler’s daughter Barbara.
Barbie made her debut at the American Toy Fair in New York City on March 9, 1959. With her good looks, stylish clothing, and slim figure, Barbie was an instant hit. In the first year alone, over 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold.
The Introduction of Ken
Shortly after Barbie’s successful launch, Handler and Mattel decided that Barbie needed a boyfriend. They tasked designer Jack Ryan with creating Barbie’s male counterpart, using the name Ken – a nod to Handler’s son Kenneth.
Ken debuted in 1961 as “Kenneth Carson,” Barbie’s dashing boyfriend. With his preppy, clean-cut looks, Ken was marketed as the idealized suburban man and Barbie’s perfect match. The first Ken doll wore red swim trunks and a matching yellow terry cloth jacket, reflecting casual early 1960s fashions. With Ken on the scene, Mattel could now expand storylines and accessories for Barbie to include dates, vehicles, and playsets for the doll couple.
The Controversial Origins Theory
While Handler claimed that Barbie was named after her daughter and Ken after her son, some alternate theories have emerged. One unverified account suggests that Handler based Barbie and Ken on a pair of German adult novelty dolls named Bild Lilli and Bild Lilli’s boyfriend.
Bild Lilli was a racy gag gift doll sold in smoke shops and adult stores in the 1950s. The dolls were modeled after a comic strip character named Lilli who worked as a secretary but also used her sex appeal to manipulate men. Bild Lilli dolls were sold in several outfits, including lingerie. Some speculate Bild Lilli was the inspiration for Barbie’s appearance and adult-like figure.
The German novelty company also sold a companion male doll known as Bild Lilli’s boyfriend. He was later given the name George by collectors. This unnamed, little-known figure may have ultimately inspired the creation of Ken.
Is There Any Validity to This Theory?
While intriguing, there is little hard evidence to support the idea that Handler directly based Barbie and Ken on Bild Lilli and Bild Lilli’s boyfriend:
- Handler never acknowledged publicly that Bild Lilli was Barbie’s inspiration.
- The characters have distinctly different names and backstories.
- Barbie has always been marketed by Mattel as a teen fashion model, not an adult figure.
That said, Handler was likely aware of Bild Lilli dolls and may have incorporated some elements of their appearance and adult themes into Barbie. The German dolls were sold briefly in the U.S. just before Barbie’s launch. But Handler always maintained Barbie was based on watching her daughter play with paper dolls.
Were Barbie and Ken Designed as a Couple?
Another key piece of evidence against the siblings theory is that Handler and Mattel clearly designed and marketed Barbie and Ken from the very beginning as a romantic couple, not brother and sister.
Everything from the timing of Ken’s introduction, his backstory as Barbie’s boyfriend, the playsets and accessories pairing them together, and their matching good looks supports they were conceived as the ideal toy couple. Both dolls were created to let children imagine grown-up romance and courtship through doll play.
If Handler had intended Barbie and Ken as fictional siblings, this likely would have been made clear in the dolls’ marketing and backstories. Instead, their narrative has always been that of a picture-perfect, love-at-first sight romance between all-American teens.
The Bottom Line
While the idea that Barbie and Ken actually portray secret siblings makes for an intriguing theory, most evidence indicates Handler did not model the famous Mattel dolls after siblings or any pre-existing doll figures.
By all accounts, Handler created Barbie based on watching her own daughter play with paper dolls. Ken was then introduced as Barbie’s boyfriend in order to expand the storyline and marketability of the toys. The dolls captured the spirit of dating and romance in the booming postwar suburban culture of 1950s and 60s America.
So while their backstories and personalities have evolved over the decades, the icons were clearly designed from the start as the idealized, storybook couple – not sister and brother.
Conclusion
In summary, most available information suggests Barbie and Ken were not modeled after siblings or other pre-existing doll characters. Ruth Handler is credited with conceiving the idea for Barbie after observing her daughter play with paper dolls. Ken was then created by Mattel designers as Barbie’s boyfriend in order to expand the narrative and play potential of the newly launched Barbie line.
While some have speculated the dolls were copied from German adult novelty figures, there is little hard evidence to support this. On the contrary, everything from the timing of Ken’s introduction to the way the dolls were marketed indicates Mattel intended Barbie and Ken as a romantic couple from the very beginning. Their backstories and accessories portrayed an idealized, storybook romance between all-American teen sweethearts. While their relationship has evolved, the dolls were never designed – nor likely intended – to be portrayed as brother and sister.