The movie "Barbie" directed by Greta Gerwig was a major box office success. In addition to it's central stars Barbie and Ken, we were given the opportunity to see various versions of the dolls marketed by Mattel over the years. One of which was Sugar Daddy Ken, who made a wild cameo in the movie played by Rob Brydon. The Sugar Daddy Ken doll was first announced by Mattel in 2009, the year that marked Barbie’s 50th anniversary. A part of Barbie’s Palm Beach line of dolls, Sugar Daddy Ken was priced at $82 and was publicly released in the spring of 2010. The doll, “exemplifies fantastic Palm Beach fashion,” according to Mattel. Sugar Daddy Ken’s outfit included a green damask print blazer, a pink button-up and white pleated slacks. His golden blond hair has started fading gray, and unlike many Ken dolls, he came with an accessory: a toy dog on a hot pink leash. Analyzing his flamboyant wardrobe further, this version of Ken clearly reimagined him as an upper-class socialite unlike other Kens that mostly don casual beachwear. The green damask print blazer, in fact, resembles a particular socialite from Slim Aaron’s iconic photograph “Palm Springs Party”.
Instead of a “Mojo Dojo Casa House”, the party’s setting is the Kaufmann Desert House at California’s Palm Springs. Aaron’s 1970 snapshot features several partygoers, one of whom wears a similar blazer and white trousers, most likely making him the inspiration behind Mattel’s Sugar Daddy Ken. Although the Ken doll was named after his dog 'Sugar', the name stirred a lot of controversy and with all the backlash the Sugar Daddy Ken doll received, the decision was made to Mattel decided to discontinue it. Who knows? Perhaps Mattel will bring back the Sugar Daddy Ken doll after all this newly focused fascination and hype. Only time will tell.....