Inspired by the music videos these girls saw on the legendary MTV music video network, they wanted Ken to have a cool new look and “cool” meant something like a mesh top, a leather vest, tight pants and an earring. Mattel’s research team worked with a group of 5-year-old girls in the early 1990s to find out what may make them more inclined to push their parents to buy a Ken doll. The options were very simple: either Mattel gives Ken the boot or they improve him. The crux of the issue was that Ken wasn’t “cool” and Mattel was not okay with it.
Moreover, he was a pretty boring a geek who was most popularly seen wearing satin tuxedos. Her partner, Ken, on the other hand, was not. Barbie was at the height of her popularity in the early 1990s.