5. The debate over Ken’s genitalia
In 1961, Ruth and Elliot introduced Ken, named after the couple’s son – but there was a debate about the design.
RH: It was a conscious decision to make the Ken doll without genitals. That was a discussion between the designers and me, in which I lost. The men of the design group all felt that Ken should not have genitals. I wasn’t sure – I argued for a little bump. And we did get a little bump as time went on.
6. Despite criticism from some feminists over Barbie’s caricatured vision of womanhood, Handler was a driven career woman
RH: I felt tremendous guilt about being a mother away from my children, because in those days, there were no career women. Other women didn’t know quite how to treat me. If we did go out to a social occasion, I found myself sitting with the men who were talking business.
7. Handler didn’t want Barbie to intimidate girls
RH: We tried not to make her too beautiful. We were not anxious to have a beautiful doll, because we felt if little girls were going to project themselves through this doll, we didn’t want the little girl to be threatened by the beauty of Barbie.
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