United Colors of Benetton 1990 Ken doll wasn’t on my 2020 list but he just happened to be for sale and it was such a great deal I couldn’t resist. Who would, just look at him! Whenever I see a 1988 SuperStar molded Ken, a memory of a fierce childhood dream comes back to me. How I wanted to own one, instead I got a well-made clone doll that turned out to be a very satisfactory replacement that I played with for years and now I cannot identify him. There’s very little information on clone dolls. United Colors of Benetton Ken is a doll number 100 on my collection list. When did I get so many? Well, in fact, there’s more than 100 dolls at this moment, because I don’t follow chronology on my blog, so you’ve seen dolls number 101 and 102, and the ones that arrived before Ken are still waiting for the right moment to be introduced.
The United Colors of Benetton Barbie series is very dear to me because the Barbie form that particular line was the second Barbie I’ve ever owned. For years I was sure she was a gift from my mom, but now I don’t think so. My mom would’ve made shopping for Barbie a very special day that I would remember for the rest of my life. She would’ve taken me to the store and let me choose the doll I liked best, my mom is great like that. I don’t have a memory of such a day, but I remember sitting on the floor with the colorful Barbie still in her box. I’m almost sure she came in a parcel from my granny. My grandma, always the elegant and stylish lady who wouldn’t go to the woods to pick up mushrooms without full make-up would have loved the Benetton Barbie. Funny thing, I don’t have a detailed recollection of Christie, Kira or Teresa from the series, but I sure do remember Ken who was smiling at me from the promo picture at the back of the box. Ahhhh the elusive Ken!
I don’t know why, but Benetton Kira was called Marina in Europe, and Ken and Teresa were not available in the US, so they’re a little harder to get than the other girls. For this reason, I didn’t take too long to consider the purchase. The 1988 SuperStar Ken headmold may not be the handsomest and it certainly doesn’t look 18 – the official Ken age, but it’s my favorite Ken face. You can’t help an old sentiment. He just feels so nostalgic with his chisel chin and a million dollar smile! I remember the beautiful picture of the SuperStar Ken 1988 with my very first Barbie and there was the luxurious white Ferrari in the background. The ridiculously expensive car turned out to be easier to get than any genuine Ken doll. He just wasn’t there in the stores in Poland still struggling with communism.
According to reliable sources, Ken’s outfit should include an orange bandana, a blue collar shirt and a pair of orange socks, but mine lost these pieces. Still, I’m pretty happy with the outfit he managed to hold on to. There’s a multicolor sleeveless top, an orange hat and a pair of orange pants. Ken’s also wearing a pair of purple shoes and a colorful jacket. I’m so happy he still has his shoes, they would be so hard to get in this color. The jacket is my favorite piece of this incredibly colorful and happy-looking outfit. I forgot to mention that the pants have real pockets! Now that’s the attention to detail that I’m missing nowadays! Now that I look at him, he’s so wonderfully color coordinated – tangerine pants, a tangerine hat and tangerine tan …
Ken has joined Barbie and Christie and now I’m only missing Kira. I don’t include Teresa because she’s incredibly hard to come by. She’s very rare and ridiculously expensive. I’ve recently seen her head for sale and I even contemplated purchasing it and getting her a body and an outfit or at least a fashion pack from the series, but the head had had a haircut. I hardly ever purchase dolls with cut hair so I decided to pass on that occasion but it may be an option to consider in the future if there’s a good deal. Speaking of good deals, I’ve recently come by two dolls that were so well priced that I even decided to risk purchasing them in these troubled times when international eBay parcels may not come to their destination. Still, it was worth the risk, keep your fingers crossed!
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