Sugar Daddy Ken Doll Creates Controversy in Barbie World

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Sugar Daddy Ken Doll Creates Controversy in Barbie World Posted: 25 Nov 2009 12:16 PM PST How Will New Doll Affect Young Girls’ Views of Men? Mattel Inc., the world’s largest and most profitable toy company known for their Hot Wheels and Matchbox toy cars, has released a brand new version of Ken into their popular Barbie Doll line. While Barbie has often received flak from certain sects of consumers for her unrealistic physical proportions and negative influence on younger girls’ self image, Ken has for the most part gone untouched by critics. Until now. Sugar Daddy Ken, the latest rendition of Barbie’s boyfriend, comes outfitted in “a dashing jacquard-patterned jacket with a light pink polo shirt and crisp white pants” according to Sugar Daddy Ken online retailer Entertainment Earth. The doll is further accessorized by a small white poodle and accompanying leash. However, Ken’s extravagant clothes, bleach blond hair, fake tan that rivals any previous Barbie doll and pet may be among parents’ least concerns. According to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, a “sugar daddy” is defined as “1. a well-to-do usually older man who supports or spends lavishly on a mistress, girlfriend, or boyfriend.” The online Urban Dictionary contains several definitions for this increasingly popular and cultural term, including “1. A man who provides money or other favors in exchange for sexual relations. 2. An older man who is able to gain a younger woman by having lots of cash and assets. The younger woman is known as a ‘gold digger.’ The sugar daddy is generally being used by the ‘gold digger’ for his house, cars and clothes [and] money.” In response to parental concerns and outcries from conservative consumers, one Mattel spokesperson told the New York Post, “The Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken is actually part of the adult Barbie Collector Line. It is targeted toward adults.” The spokesperson also added, “The little dog’s name is actually Sugar. That’s where the [doll’s] name comes from. He’s Sugar’s daddy, as a reference to the dog.” However, Entertainment Earth’s description of the doll contradicts Mattel’s statement and ends with the phrase “Look no further for your sugar daddy!” as opposed to the possessive “Sugar’s Daddy.” Sugar Daddy Ken is already available for purchase online through Mattel’s official website, as well as through Entertainment Earth. While the Barbie line boasts a rather innocent and wholesome historical past, the future cultural ramifications of such a doll may prove to be a factor in affecting younger girls’ views of men, specifically their relationships with older men. It may additionally prove difficult to hinder younger girls from purchasing dolls from the adult Barbie Collection, particularly if parents see no harm in such a doll or its attributes. The doll will be release in stores and made available to the mass public sometime early next year.

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