What Was I Made For?

Ryan Gosling’s “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend”-influenced performance at last night’s Academy Awards was merely the pre-party for today:

Happiest of birthdays to Kenneth Sean Carson, better known to the world as … just Ken.

On this date in 1961, at the American International Toy Fair, Mattel introduced a male companion for their popular doll Barbie.

Even then, Ken’s job was beach:

The first Ken was available as a blond or a brunette, but only came “dressed in red bathing suit trunks with a yellow towel and sandals.”

His wardrobe has expanded since then, but he’s struggled to emerge from the text printed twice on the front of his original box: “Barbie’s Boyfriend.”

After I saw Barbie: The Movie last summer, it was pretty obvious what my holiday card theme would be. I started out with the very-limited edition tag for the chocolate bar I gave my husband on St. Nicholas Day.

As I sat down to sketch out the holiday card, my original idea focused on the female iterations of Santa — La Befana, Perchta, Grýla, et al — each presented as special edition Barbie dolls.

But the mental image of Ken in his fur coat and white boots kept barging in.

So — much like Ken charmed his way into taking over the movie about his girlfriend, and overwhelmed just about everything else at the Oscars — Ken just kinda took over our holiday cards.

Still though, I was glad when Ken didn’t completely steal the Oscars show from Barbara Millicent Roberts.

People will remember Ken’s performance.

But Barbie was the winner.