Ken, Allan, Brad & Curtis

Ken (Ken Carson) is a Mattel toy doll introduced by Mattel in 1961.
The fictional boyfriend of toy doll Barbie introduced in 1959. Similar to his female counterpart, Ken had a fantastically fashionable line of clothing and accessories. In the Barbie mythos, Ken and Barbie met on the set of a TV commercial in 1961. Mattel has never specified the precise nature of their relationship. Since his debut, Ken has held at least forty occupations.

Alan Sherwood (1964-1965, 1991, 2002) This character has been revived several times. Allan started out as “Ken’s Buddy” and was paired with the Midge doll from the beginning. In 1991, a line of dolls was created depicting a wedding for Allan and Midge. Later, a family-themed line of dolls, much like the earlier Heart Family, had the two characters raising a family (see list below of characters from this line).

Brad (1970) This African-American male doll was available in two versions: Talking Brad and Brad With Bendable Legs. He was made from an all-new face sculpt that is known as the Brad face sculpt. The Brad character was introduced as a boyfriend for the Christie character.

Curtis (1975) This African-American male character is virtually identical to Brad, and was available as only one version, 1975 Free Moving Curtis.