Warner Bros. has released a new image from the Barbie movie, based on the most famous doll ever, and it’s of Ryan Gosling as Ken.
You may or may not know that Gosling’s big break was as one of the Mouseketeers on The New Mickey Mouse Club. That show also featured future stars like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kerri Russel, and *NSYNC members JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake. Gosling turned down an opportunity to join rival boyband The Backstreet Boys, so he wasn’t a pinup during that era. But he is definitely channeling Millenium-era boyband hunk in this photo.
Oiled up skin? Check. Bleached blond hair? Check. Eight-pack abs? Check. Exposed underwear waistband (with his own name nonetheless)? Check.
Check out the total package below:
Come on, Ryan, let’s go party. No seriously.
Best Selling Ken Doll Of All Time
Whether it was intentional or not, Gosling’s look is at least similar to the most controversial — and highest-selling– Ken doll in history, Earring Magic Ken, which was released in 1993. Earring Magic Ken was a companion to Earring Magic Barbie. At that time, it was still not necessarily acceptable for men to have pierced ears in some areas. But then, there was that outfit.
Jeez, look at the Ryan Gosling pic again and then the doll. They even got the super tan, oiled-up skin to match the doll!
Earring Magic Ken featured frosted blond tips in front of his otherwise brown hair and sported a lavender mesh shirt, matching lavender pleather vest adorned with… metal rings (which I will discuss in a second), and a necklace with another metal ring.
Okay, those are cock rings. They go over a man’s (usual a gay one’s) genitalia during sexy time.
It is reported that the designers at Mattel were simply trying to make Ken a bit hipper in 1993 and they drew inspiration from “cool”-looking individuals on the street… who were obviously homosexual.
This might have flown over the heads of Mom and Pop Suburbs who might have purchased this doll for their kids, but gay men at the time went nuts, buying up all the Earring Magic Kens they could find. Stores were depleted by Christmas of that year, making this the best-selling Ken doll of all time. Look, we gays have money and no kids. We buy stupid crap just cuz.
Greta Gerwig is directing Barbie based on a script she co-wrote with Noah Baumbach. Margot Robbie stars as the titular doll. She is also one of the producers through her company Lucky Chap Entertainment.
The eclectic cast also includes Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, and Issa Rae.
Barbie will be released in theaters on July 21, 2023.
