Green-Hair BMR1959

I asked on various social media sites which of the BMR1959 dolls I ordered should be introduced in what order – the green-haired Ken was second on the list. Don’t worry, the manbun review will be up early this week.

As I mentioned in my review of the curvy brunette from this BMR1959 collection, the last couple of years have been pretty awesome for Barbie fans. While we’ve had Ken dolls with varying levels of articulation – namely, fashionista Ken and the uber-buff Superman – this collection is the first to offer us fully articulated made to move Ken dolls. Huzzah!

On October 29th, Mattel released not one made to move male, but two – this is the one with green, flocked hair:

One word: YAY!

Firstly, yay to Mattel for moving away from the straight-armed, un-bending legs that the Ken dolls of my childhood sported. Who can give a hug when their arms are straight out in front of them? As I mentioned before, that’s why I was so thrilled with my Brandon doll from the 90210 line, my very first Ken doll.

I’m just disappointed that it’s taken so long to get to a made to move Ken from Mattel, it’s long overdue. But he’s here now, and I, for one, appreciate him. I know I’m not alone in that.

I’m also very pleased that Mattel is moving away from plastic hair. Barbie has had rooted hair and wigs since the original doll – why Ken has taken so long to catch up is beyond me. Welcome to having a head of hair(ish). Granted, this fellow has flocked hair, but it’s soft to the touch and quite nice. His counterpart sports both flocked hair on the sides and a man bun, more on that later.

As with the other Barbie review, we’re going to start with the accessories, boots:

Not just boots, neon orange, plastic, platform boots. Uhm….

They’re not only one solid color, they’re oddly hollow. I’m not sure why they’re hollow, wondering if it might be weight reasons, not wanting to stress the ankle/leg joints too much.

For those that aren’t fans of the shoes and feel crafty– and I might be so inclined at some point – they should be easy enough to paint and give an ink wash to add some depth. The detail is there.

Next up, the necklace:

I’m not thrilled with this for the same reason I’m not thrilled with the shoes, it’s plastic and a solid color. I feel like this detracts from the doll overall, and I would have much rather seen the same silver that was used on the curvy Barbie earrings, but well, a lot of people have said they actually prefer it as it is.

In the end, it all comes down to personal aesthetic

Which brings me to the sunglasses, and, my oh my:

I’m not on the fence with these sunglasses, I think they’re fantastic. They’ll look good on everyone, I’m absolutely convinced. Putting these on just about any doll immediately summons “Pony” by Ginuwine (ignore the lyrics, embrace the music) in my head. Yes, they’re that level of cool. Expect to see them in future.

I know there are a lot of people that absolutely love this puffy jacket – I’m not one of them.

Now, before you pounce and say I’m being too critical: All I’m saying is it’s not my personal aesthetic. That said, I can appreciate the craftsmanship, which is excellent. I’ve been decrying the lack of quality, genuine Barbie gear for a long time from my picky-based soap box.

There are no painted-on pockets with drawn nametags or anything like that, no flimsy material, this is a lined jacket. While it’s not my style with the branding or the bright color, it’s certainly nicely made, major kudos on that front. I hope this is a trend we can see in future with Mattel.

The jacket is attached to the overalls with small bits of plastic - yanking is not a good idea, you’ll need to cut these with scissors. In the sleeves, his arms are wrapped in plastic, I assume this is to fill the puffy jacket out further.

As to the overalls, they’re one solid piece, there are no buttons, fastens, or Velcro of any kind.

The branding is still present and the color is “intense”. It’s not my aesthetic, not even close, but I know there are people who are a fan of the neon. I’m not sure if it would be wise to try and dye them or not, I might…

As for the top beneath, it’s a plum purple and I love it:

Normally, I’m not big on jewel tones, but this piece is quite pretty and it fits him well. It has a velcro clasp on the back to give it a slightly tighter neckline. If you want to remove this, I suggest you slide it down over his legs. Again, this piece is well-made and feels sturdy.

I’d love to see Mattel make these outfits, without as much branding, in other colors (black and white would be great for versatility purposes).

But what about the doll himself? The face of this doll is unique, and he has flocked hair:

Unfortunately for me, he has some odd speckles on his skin, and he has a small “x” shaped cut along his jawline under his ear - not sure what happened to him before he got to me. But that’s not going to be the case with everyone’s doll, at least I hope it isn’t.

Regardless of the issues, he has an attractive face; softer features, high cheekbones, and perfectly shaped, arched brows. What is unique about this Ken is that he’s wearing makeup, which isn’t something that Mattel has done previously to the best of my knowledge.

The makeup is nicely done, much more apparent than the curvy from the same collection. While the curvy Barbie’s makeup seems to be an every-day look, this look appears to be more of a “going out” look to me.

This hair is extremely soft, it’s actually quite pleasant to touch. I’m not a big fan of the color, but that seems to be a theme with this collection (my dislike of bright colors, that is). I’ve seen several photos from folks who have “dyed” the hair with markers and food coloring – so, if you’d like someone with darker hair, it’s entirely possible.

What about his figure and flexibility?

His body appears to be more muscular then the fashionista Ken, but not as bulky as the Superman. He’s just as articulated as the regular made to move females, with even more bend at the elbow than the curvy female counterparts (gah, I knew it!)

The articulation is exactly what I’ve been pining for in previous posts. Thank you, Mattel, for coming out with some made to move males!

Lastly, if you look closely at his hands, not only is the pose nice, but he also has a manicure:

I’m glad to see Mattel stepped up their game with this, as it’s been a pet peeve of mine for a while, and I wasn’t sure if I could replace his hands for those of a fashion royalty doll.  It looks like I won’t have to. For those that aren’t fans of the nail polish, I kid not, you can carefully remove this with nail polish remover.

Overall, I’m thrilled with the route Mattel is going with it’s newest dolls.  I’d love to see more hand poses and options (hand replacements) for this, and every other Barbie … ever.  But that’s nothing new.

As I said in my last post, I’m aware that nude dolls can be somewhat controversial (as my comment section made clear).  My view is simple:  everyone has a body, they’re nothing to be ashamed of, and children don’t tend to sexualize bodies – adults do, and they teach children to do the same.  

Anyway, thanks for stopping in and I hope you enjoyed this review.  If I missed anything you’d like to see more clearly, just let me know in the comments below.  I’ll have the review of the manbun ken from the BMR1959 line up in a few days :)