He came in this original outfit, a towel lined striped beach jacket and coordinated trunks, (the trunks never came in the signature “Barbie” black and white stripes as pictured on the box and in the first advertising) they were red instead!
There was a cello bag over his head to protect the flocking, kind of creepy, this one, like most had dried up and fallen off. Phew!
In a second cello bag you got the infamous catalogue, for dreaming and of course planning future shopping. Mattel understood marketing!
You also got a pair of red strapped sandals and a yellow towel.
A wire stand completed the kit. Everything Ken needed for a day at the pool or beach.
Here he is lined up with famous American product designer “Henry Dreyfuss’ ” illustration for architects and designers, on the cover of his ground breaking book “The Measure of Man”. The drawing and the doll were an almost perfect match!
There was something for every occasion in a young mans life (young men dressed much differently than today’s dude.) They coordinated perfectly with Barbies fashions, making KEN her perfect accessory. Why sell one outfit when you can sell 2?
“You can tell they’re Mattel, they’re SWELL!”
But of course, KEN could also stand alone, without Barbie, which would allow more comfortable (for the average parent) purchase and play for their little boys too!!