Friday, October 16, 2009

Men from Mattel in Action Figure Garb



From left to right: Romeo Ken in Ken tee shirt and action figure jeans, Arabian Knights Ken in BBi Elite Force tee and shorts, Happy Family AA Grandfather in Power Team shirt and pants, Superman Ken in action figure shirt and Jakks Pacific Camp Rock Shane's jeans, and Cali Guy Steven in action figure shirt and pants. All footwear, Mattel Ken.

In a recent We Love Black Dolls Yahoo Group thread about Ken's clothes, someone called for "intervention" for Ken's wardrobe. So instead of dressing action figures in Ken wear, I've pulled these Ken and other Mattel men to show these guys wearing various action figure clothes. (Other exception is the Shane jeans - Shane is another fashion doll.) The clothes described as "action figure" were purchased from Old Joe's Infirmary and/or other action figure online shops.

In a future post, I'll do a photo comparison of the Ken body types. Ken has moved from thin to husky to lean to muscled. So collectors need to consider which Ken body they are buying for since all Ken wear is NOT the same. Information about the various Ken bodies can be seen in Keeping Ken news section.

Happy viewing.

12 comments:

Black Doll Enthusiast said...

Ahhhh... they look so much better... so less effeminate. Thanks for the intervention! I'm sure if they could, they'd thank you, too!

dbg

Diva Nay said...

They all look great redressed!! I have yet to catch up on WLBD to see the posts on Ken.

M.J. said...

Ken DOES need an intervention.

Check out his "stylin' look" in the "Do The Barbie" video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9MRbqw5aJw

Good grief.

And, honestly, his look has never been great. Does anyone remember Earring Magic Ken?

D7ana said...

LOL, thanks, Debbie! The guys are thrilled ... except for Superman who finds the Jakks Pacific pants a little too tight ;-D

Renee, I'm sooo far behind on WLBD, I'm surprised anyone still remembers me, :-} Glad I saw the Ken clothes posts though.

M.J., I have Earring Magic Ken - you know Ken has to be a great sport to accept some of the fashions the company forces on him. As for the New Look Ken in the Barbie Video, the hat looks comical - PimpDaddy Ken - and the ultra tight pants, um, unfortunate. I don't like the skinny jeans look on anyone ... though almost anything is better than the low rise pants. (See people wearing those and think - please don't bend over before I avert or close my eyes. Puhleeze with puppy dog eyes - don't.)

M.J. said...

I have Earring Magic Ken, too!! He and Rappin Rockin Ken are my only two Ken dolls. I purchased both of them because they made me laugh. :)

D7ana said...

Awww ... your poor Kens! It's the clothes, my guys tell me. I didn't like Ken when I was a kid, but I've got 26 of them now. Love 'em all. I mean, think how good natured Kens have to be to wear the outfits they're issued in ;-D

BTW, I have the blond Rocker Ken - he's Mr. Fox ;-) - just have to find him and re-dress him. That silver suit needs to be retired to a Halloween/Masquerade shop.

Niel said...

OMG! I was about to do a post on cross dressing dolls and action figures.

I always have thought that Romeo Ken is too happy to be in a tragedy. Arabian Knight Ken is hot. Superman Ken reminds me of Adam Lambert.

D7ana said...

Niel, great minds think alike LOL.

Please do your article on cross dressing dolls and action figures. I enjoy seeing your dolls and action figures ... pretty please ;-D

Yes, Arabian Knights Ken is hot, but so is Tango Ken, James Bond Ken, and Romeo Ken sigh. Even with that inappropriately happy expression, he sizzles.

(BTW I never thought about how inappropriate his expression is for the character he plays. I re-cast him as the lead anchor of the local news station. Couldn't see him in a tragedy, but I wasn't conscious why until you mentioned it.)

I don't watch "American Idol" so I had to look Adam Lambert up. Hmm ... the color/complexion match exactly. Superman Ken's got a lovely Roman nose and cleft chin (oooeeey) while Mr. Lambert's features seem flatter. Of course, I am Ken-biased LOL

RoxanneRoxanne said...

Dana they look so much better! I really need to buy some clothes for my guys and get them out of the Ken fashions.

The comments here have made me LOL!

D7ana said...

Roxanne, unexpected LOLs are part of the fun of collectors gathering online. I love it.

Recent thread on MWD says that Old Joe Infirmary is slow now - someone's had a baby - so I need to find my other sources for loose men's clothes.

Can't wait to strip some more action figures and Kens/Mattel guys to redress the latter. More laughs likely to come ;-D

Ms. Leo said...

I must say--I love the links! Maybe because Mattel thinks of Ken as an accessory, they never have given his clothes real thought! The closes they came was some of the item for FF Kurt and Blaine. For action figures it is different. They are the central item--anyway--I like seeing the outfits!

D7ana said...

Hi Leonaamon! Glad the links are helpful. Most Ken fashions are ... regrettable. Like who designed that and why? Little girls can't have that bad clothing tastes?

The edge most action figure clothes have - when the clothes are NOT part of the plastic body - is that they resemble real clothes. Ken's clothes have his name on them (in case he forgets who he is?) or come in bright, gaudy colors.

I need to do a separate post on Ken wear that looks wearable for everyday guys.