Barbie and Ken's Profitable Plastic Pedestal

Ken—as in Barbie and Ken— turned 50 this year, and Mattel is keeping the plastic pair’s recently on-again love affair alive with social media and an online TV show. Entrepreneurs are getting in on the fun, too.

If you’re a stranger in Barbie land, here’s a quick recap: Just two days before Valentine’s Day 2004, Mattel announced that Ken and Barbie were splitting up. Among fans, there were rumors that Barbie had fallen for Aussie surfer named Blaine, that Ken was finally coming out as gay and then the usual dull explanations like they just needed time alone (boo to that one). Seven long years later, the couple reunited (think Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big from Sex and the City) on Valentine’s Day of this year, just before Ken turned 50, at least in doll years, on March 11. Cougar Barbie feted her 52nd “birthday” earlier in 2011.

Now, with Ken’s anniversary, Mattel is putting new emphasis on Barbie's on-again beau. To choose the inspiration for his new face, the company launched an online reality show, Genuine Ken, a Bachelorette-style competition that had eight real men vying to be Barbie’s ideal boyfriend. The show, apparently was among the most popular reality shows on Hulu, according to a New York Times report. The winner? Kurtis Taylor, a 25-year-old former college football player from Fort Dodge, Iowa.

The Barbie-Ken drama and the attendant business-related social media opportunities were not lost on pop-culture watching entrepreneur Stacey Blume. The 36-year-old is the creative director and founder of Blume Apparel and Lingerie of New York, which specializes in personalized underwear with uniform-style name tags. She bemoaned the Barbie-Ken breakup when it happened.

“I happen to love Barbie and Ken, and I thought 'Love can’t even last in the land of plastic with the most iconic of classic couples?'” But Blume also saw an opportunity when she heard that a reunion was in the works.

Her company crafted an ad campaign and posted a blog entry related to the Barbie-Ken-Blaine love triangle.

The ad, created by Seattle-based guerilla marketing firm Wexley School for Girls, shows Barbie’s booty-call-friendly boudoir in which everything from the flouncy dresses to the bowling ball to the desk are done up in shades of hot pink. A pair of pink thong underwear with the name “Blaine” are at the base of the bed, while a similar “Ken” pair dangles from a wastebasket beside the bed.

The blog sent the lingerie company’s fans to the Barbie and Ken site to place their votes on the Love-o-meter and push for a reunion.

“The analytics for our website went up around 4,000 percent during the Ken and Barbie campaign,” Blume says. “It went viral to that extent.”

The interest among adult lingerie buyers shouldn't surprise. Classic or vintage Barbies can sell for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars depending on the doll and its condition. One New York doll collector, Carolynn Whitford, known in the Barbie-collecting community as BarbieZania owns hundreds and gives Barbie presentations. Ken dolls aren’t as much of a collector’s item, but she brought a few along to a recent gathering, according to a report in NorthJersey.com.

As for Mattel bringing back Ken in a big way, Blume is all for it.

“I think that her being with Blaine felt strange,” Blume says. “It was an interesting story and it brought real life into the world of plastics, but ultimately real love prevailed. Barbie is an iconic figure and Ken was her iconic love, and Barbie collectors are just happy that they’re reunited.”

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Teresa Novellino writes for Portfolio.com