Mattel had conducted a survey of girls asking if Ken should be retained as Barbie's boyfriend or whether a new doll should be introduced in that role. Survey results indicated that girls wanted Ken kept but wanted him to look "cooler". USA Today noted after the American International Toy Fair that the doll Soul Train Jamal, from the Shani doll line, was also wearing an earring that year. According to manager of marketing communications for Mattel, Lisa McKendall, "We tried to keep [Ken] as cool as possible." This model of the Ken doll was dressed in a lavender mesh shirt, purple pleather vest, a necklace with a circular charm and, as the name indicates, an earring in his left ear.
Backlash against Ken's gender non-conformity followed shortly after. In another widely syndicated article, opinion writer Tom Zucco expressed extreme distaste for Ken's recent outfits in the Saint Petersburg Times. He referred to Ken's style transformation as "disturbing" and said that "Little girls of America need to know that most of us are not and never have been like Ken [. . .] In reality, most of us aren't very glamorous or flamboyant. We don't want to be glamorous or flamboyant. We can't even spell glamorous or flamboyant." Zucco purchased Sun Sensation Ken for his daughter (because Earring Magic Ken was not yet on sale) and remarked that her enjoyment of the toy must be due to "a slick marketing campaign by Mattel, peer pressure, and the fact that The World Is Going To Hell In A Handbasket!"
In July 1993, Dan Savage wrote an article on Earring Magic Ken titled, "Ken Comes Out." He noted in his article that, in addition to his outfit's perceived flamboyance, his necklace resembled a chrome cock ring that some gay men were wearing as charms at the time. Amelia Jones considers the cock ring to have been the defining accessory of the doll that cast doubt on Mattel's insistence that it had no relation to gay fashion. Savage expressed feelings of ambivalence about Ken's new style, writing, "Queer Ken is the high water mark of, depending on your point of view, either queer infiltration of popular culture or the thoughtless appropriation of queer culture by heterosexuals [. . .] Queer imagery has so permeated our culture that from rock stars (Axl Rose and his leather chaps) to toy designers, mainstream America isn't even aware when it's adopting queer fashions and mores."
Earring Magic Ken was a fixture in popular culture throughout 1993. He was joked about on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and on the premiere of the short-lived Chevy Chase Show. The doll was awarded "Dubious Achievements of 1993" by Esquire alongside gaffes by baseball player Darryl Strawberry and actor Richard Gere.
A major appeal of the doll for many gay men was that Mattel did not market it to them on purpose. Rick Garcia, director of Chicago's Catholic Advocates for Lesbian and Gay Rights, told People magazine in 1993 that the stereotypical dress was funny to him because he believed it was an accident, and that it would have offended him if it was purposeful. In 1993, many newspapers interviewed individual gay men in California to understand the phenomenon. A San Francisco resident described Earring Magic Ken as, "a pariah setting foot in one of America's sanctuaries." Another California resident, Bill Harley, described Earring Magic Ken as, "A campy, funny thing to have." Laguna Beach resident Keith Clark-Epley had more reservations about the toy, saying that, "It's an uptight heterosexual male doll following gay fashion and who is still behind the times," and believed that calling the doll gay could potentially reinforce negative stereotypes about gay people.
In the ensuing decades, it has become common for news articles and trivia books to claim that Dan Savage's article is what led Mattel to discontinue Earring Magic Ken. This rumor first appeared in a 1994 review of Dan Savage's new radio show, "Strange and Stranger," in which the reviewer says that Savage scared Mattel into shelving the toy and was repeated in the 2005 book "Brand Failures: The Truth About the Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time." However, upon questioning by Ann Ducille in 1996 for her essay, “Toy Theory: Black Barbie and The Deep Play of Difference," Mattel denied that Earring Magic Ken was pulled from the market for reasons other than standard discontinuation practices. In the 90s, Mattel changed 98% of their Barbie line each year, and was distributing coupons for Christmas shopping to encourage sales of their toys as early as August 1993. No Earring Magic Barbie products (including the Barbie dolls that made up the majority of the collection) were sold after 1993. In 2021, the toy collector Cammy told Mel Magazine that the six-month window Earring Magic Ken was on the shelves was very normal for a seasonal fashion doll.
Sarasohn-Kahn, Jane (1998). Contemporary Barbie dolls : 1980 and beyond. Jane Sarasohn-Kahn (1998 ed., expanded ed.). Norfolk, Va.: Antique Trader Books. ISBN 0-930625-90-0. OCLC 38132027. 0-930625-90-0
Robins, Cynthia (1993). "Out of the box, now out of the closet?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 29, 2023. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/11/03/out-of-the-box-now-out-of-the-closet/
Jones, Amelia (2003). The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. Routledge. p. 338. ISBN 0-415-26705-6. 0-415-26705-6
Haig, Matt (2005). Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time. Kogan Page. pp. 45–47. ISBN 0-7494-3927-0. 0-7494-3927-0
Haig, Matt (2005). Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time. Kogan Page. pp. 45–47. ISBN 0-7494-3927-0. 0-7494-3927-0
Vigoda, Arlene. "LEND ME AN EAR: [FINAL EDITION]." USA TODAY (pre-1997 Fulltext), Feb 09 1993, p. 01D. ProQuest. Web. 23 Apr. 2023 .
Vigoda, Arlene. "LEND ME AN EAR: [FINAL EDITION]." USA TODAY (pre-1997 Fulltext), Feb 09 1993, p. 01D. ProQuest. Web. 23 Apr. 2023 .
Lawson, Carol (February 11, 1993). "Toys Will Be Toys: The Stereotypes Unravel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/11/garden/toys-will-be-toys-the-stereotypes-unravel.html
Dupere, Katie (June 29, 2020). "The true story of Mattel accidentally releasing a super gay Ken doll". Yahoo. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/true-story-mattel-accidentally-releasing-181817544.html
Savage, Dan (July 22, 1993). "Ken Comes Out". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 13, 2018. https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/ken-comes-out/Content?oid=882402
Savage, Dan (July 22, 1993). "Ken Comes Out". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 13, 2018. https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/ken-comes-out/Content?oid=882402
Robins, Cynthia (1993). "Out of the box, now out of the closet?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 29, 2023. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/11/03/out-of-the-box-now-out-of-the-closet/
Jones, Amelia (2003). The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. Routledge. p. 338. ISBN 0-415-26705-6. 0-415-26705-6
Rand, Erica (1995). Barbie's queer accessories. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-9924-7. OCLC 654260288. 978-0-8223-9924-7
Melendez, Mel (Fall 1997). "Show Me Your Billy". Prism. Archived from the original on February 20, 1998. Retrieved December 19, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/19980220181319/http://www.journalism.sfsu.edu/www/pubs/prism/oct97/P1.Billy.html
"When Mattel Said 'No Homo': How Earring Magic Ken Became an Accidental Queer Icon". MEL Magazine. November 30, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2023. https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/earring-magic-ken
Lawson, Carol (February 11, 1993). "Toys Will Be Toys: The Stereotypes Unravel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/11/garden/toys-will-be-toys-the-stereotypes-unravel.html
Lawson, Carol (February 11, 1993). "Toys Will Be Toys: The Stereotypes Unravel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/11/garden/toys-will-be-toys-the-stereotypes-unravel.html
Lawson, Carol (February 11, 1993). "Toys Will Be Toys: The Stereotypes Unravel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/11/garden/toys-will-be-toys-the-stereotypes-unravel.html
Lawson, Carol (February 11, 1993). "Toys Will Be Toys: The Stereotypes Unravel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/11/garden/toys-will-be-toys-the-stereotypes-unravel.html
Lawson, Carol (February 11, 1993). "Toys Will Be Toys: The Stereotypes Unravel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/11/garden/toys-will-be-toys-the-stereotypes-unravel.html
Lawson, Carol (February 11, 1993). "Toys Will Be Toys: The Stereotypes Unravel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/11/garden/toys-will-be-toys-the-stereotypes-unravel.html
"February 18, 1993 (Page 98 of 118)." Philadelphia Daily News (1960-2001), Feb 18 1993, p. 98. ProQuest. Web. 23 Apr. 2023 .
DeCaro, Frank. "FRANK'S PLACE BUT HE'S STILL HETERO-HUNKY . . . MAYBE Something `Different' about Ken: [CITY Edition]." Newsday, Combined editions ed., Feb 23 1993, p. 47. ProQuest. Web. 23 Apr. 2023 .
DeCaro, Frank. "FRANK'S PLACE BUT HE'S STILL HETERO-HUNKY . . . MAYBE Something `Different' about Ken: [CITY Edition]." Newsday, Combined editions ed., Feb 23 1993, p. 47. ProQuest. Web. 23 Apr. 2023 .
DeCaro, Frank. "FRANK'S PLACE BUT HE'S STILL HETERO-HUNKY . . . MAYBE Something `Different' about Ken: [CITY Edition]." Newsday, Combined editions ed., Feb 23 1993, p. 47. ProQuest. Web. 23 Apr. 2023 .
Zucco, Tom (1993). "Get real, Ken!". Tampa Bay Times. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/03/17/get-real-ken/
Zucco, Tom (1993). "Get real, Ken!". Tampa Bay Times. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/03/17/get-real-ken/
Zucco, Tom (1993). "Get real, Ken!". Tampa Bay Times. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/03/17/get-real-ken/
Nipple rings next? The Advocate; Mar 23, 1993; 625; LGBT Magazine Archive pg. 9
Nipple rings next? The Advocate; Mar 23, 1993; 625; LGBT Magazine Archive pg. 9
Sarasohn-Kahn, Jane (1998). Contemporary Barbie dolls : 1980 and beyond. Jane Sarasohn-Kahn (1998 ed., expanded ed.). Norfolk, Va.: Antique Trader Books. ISBN 0-930625-90-0. OCLC 38132027. 0-930625-90-0
Bay Area Reporter, Volume 23, Number 43, 28 October 1993. pp. 32 https://archive.org/details/BAR_19931028/page/n31/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/BAR_19931028/page/n31/mode/2up
Sarasohn-Kahn, Jane (1998). Contemporary Barbie dolls : 1980 and beyond. Jane Sarasohn-Kahn (1998 ed., expanded ed.). Norfolk, Va.: Antique Trader Books. ISBN 0-930625-90-0. OCLC 38132027. 0-930625-90-0
Savage, Dan (July 22, 1993). "Ken Comes Out". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 13, 2018. https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/ken-comes-out/Content?oid=882402
Savage, Dan (July 22, 1993). "Ken Comes Out". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 13, 2018. https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/ken-comes-out/Content?oid=882402
Jones, Amelia (2003). The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. Routledge. p. 338. ISBN 0-415-26705-6. 0-415-26705-6
Savage, Dan (July 22, 1993). "Ken Comes Out". Chicago Reader. Retrieved March 13, 2018. https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/ken-comes-out/Content?oid=882402
Pereira, Joseph. "These Particular Buyers of Dolls Don't Say, 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed., Aug 30 1993, p. PAGE B1. ProQuest. Web. 24 Apr. 2023 .
Bay Area Reporter, Volume 23, Number 43, 28 October 1993 https://archive.org/details/BAR_19931028/page/n31/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/BAR_19931028/page/n31/mode/2up
Robins, Cynthia (1993). "Out of the box, now out of the closet?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 29, 2023. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1993/11/03/out-of-the-box-now-out-of-the-closet/
Haig, Matt (2005). Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time. Kogan Page. pp. 45–47. ISBN 0-7494-3927-0. 0-7494-3927-0
Engstrom, John. "CHEVY'S ENGINE SPUTTERS TO HALT IN DEBUT: [FINAL EDITION]." The Vancouver Sun, Sep 09 1993, p. C3. ProQuest. Web. 26 Apr. 2023 .
Harvey, Steve. "Only in L.A.: [Home Edition]." Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext), Dec 22 1993, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. 26 Apr. 2023 .
Melendez, Mel (Fall 1997). "Show Me Your Billy". Prism. Archived from the original on February 20, 1998. Retrieved December 19, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/19980220181319/http://www.journalism.sfsu.edu/www/pubs/prism/oct97/P1.Billy.html
Beck, Jef. "The Man Behind The Doll presents Earring Magic Ken". www.manbehindthedoll.com. http://www.manbehindthedoll.com/mbtd_earring.htm
Sarasohn-Kahn, Jane (1998). Contemporary Barbie dolls : 1980 and beyond. Jane Sarasohn-Kahn (1998 ed., expanded ed.). Norfolk, Va.: Antique Trader Books. ISBN 0-930625-90-0. OCLC 38132027. 0-930625-90-0
Bay Area Reporter, Volume 23, Number 43, 28 October 1993. pp. 32 https://archive.org/details/BAR_19931028/page/n31/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/BAR_19931028/page/n31/mode/2up
Bay Area Reporter, Volume 23, Number 43, 28 October 1993. pp. 32 https://archive.org/details/BAR_19931028/page/n31/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/BAR_19931028/page/n31/mode/2up
Robinson, Nigel. "Beyond our Ken?" The Pink Paper, Aug 20 1993, p. 26. ProQuest. Web. 25 Apr. 2023 .
Journal, Joseph PereiraStaff Reporter of The Wall Street (June 24, 1996). "Toy Scalpers Buy Scarce Items, Then Resell Them at a Profit". Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB835566746105679000
Roeper, Richard. "New Ken Doll Big Hit with the Guys, Too: [LATE SPORTS FINAL Edition]." Chicago Sun - Times, Aug 03 1993, p. 11. ProQuest. Web. 25 Apr. 2023 .
Kirchner, Paul (1995). Forgotten fads and fabulous flops : an amazing collection of goofy stuff that seemed like a good idea at the time. Los Angeles: General Pub. Group. ISBN 1-881649-44-X. OCLC 32168091. 1-881649-44-X
Kirchner, Paul (1995). Forgotten fads and fabulous flops : an amazing collection of goofy stuff that seemed like a good idea at the time. Los Angeles: General Pub. Group. ISBN 1-881649-44-X. OCLC 32168091. 1-881649-44-X
Pereira, Joseph. "These Particular Buyers of Dolls Don't Say, 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed., Aug 30 1993, p. PAGE B1. ProQuest. Web. 24 Apr. 2023 .
Clough, eter. "DAILY PLANET: [FINAL EDITION]." The Province, Oct 19 1993, p. B3. ProQuest. Web. 26 Apr. 2023 .
Brodeur, Nicole. "Gays Say Earring on Ken Makes Him a Doll for them: [FINAL Edition]." The Sun, Oct 21 1993, p. 6E. ProQuest. Web. 26 Apr. 2023 .
Gremore, Graham (April 8, 2018). "That time Mattel made a gay Ken doll then freaked out when everyone else freaked out". Queerty. Retrieved April 26, 2023. https://www.queerty.com/time-mattel-gay-ken-doll-freaked-everyone-else-freaked-20180408
"This Discontinued Gay Ken Doll Will Haunt Mattel Forever". www.pride.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023. https://www.pride.com/90skids/2018/3/16/discontinued-gay-ken-doll-will-haunt-mattel-forever
Violante, March (December 20, 2021). "How a Ken doll became an 'epic fail' for Mattel (and an icon for diversity)". Connecticut Post. Retrieved April 26, 2023. https://www.ctpost.com/business/article/How-a-Ken-doll-became-an-epic-fail-for-Mattel-16712922.php
Haig, Matt (2005). Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time. Kogan Page. pp. 45–47. ISBN 0-7494-3927-0. 0-7494-3927-0
M.L. Lyke P-I Reporter. "STRANGE & STRANGER THIS LIVELY WEEKLY IS A RAUCOUS VOICE FOR GENERATION X: [FINAL EDITION]." Seattle Post - Intelligencer, Jan 17 1994, p. C1. ProQuest. Web. 26 Apr. 2023 .
Haig, Matt (2005). Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time. Kogan Page. pp. 45–47. ISBN 0-7494-3927-0. 0-7494-3927-0
The feminism and visual culture reader. Amelia Jones. London: Routledge. 2003. ISBN 0-415-26705-6. OCLC 49594148.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) 0-415-26705-6
Steinbach, Ronald D. (1995). The fashionable ear : a history of ear-piercing trends for men and women (1st ed.). New York: Vantage Press. ISBN 0-533-11237-0. OCLC 34182848. 0-533-11237-0
Jefferson, David J. "Marketing: Mattel Steps Up Toy Promotions for Christmas." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed., Aug 17 1993, p. PAGE B1. ProQuest. Web. 26 Apr. 2023 .
Olds, Patrick C. (2002). The Barbie doll years : a comprehensive listing & value guide of dolls & accessories. Joyce L. Olds (5th ed.). Paducah, Ky.: Collector Books. ISBN 1-57432-271-0. OCLC 50326775. 1-57432-271-0
"When Mattel Said 'No Homo': How Earring Magic Ken Became an Accidental Queer Icon". MEL Magazine. November 30, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2023. https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/earring-magic-ken
January 29, 2021 (Page 10)." St.Louis Post - Dispatch (2008-), Jan 29 2021, p. 10. ProQuest. Web. 26 Apr. 2023 .
Ceceri, Kathy. "Barbie Blunders". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved April 27, 2023. https://www.wired.com/2011/02/barbie-blunders/
"Earring Magic Ken Doll · Omeka@CTL". libraryexhibits.uvm.edu. Retrieved April 27, 2023. http://libraryexhibits.uvm.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/thesexshow/item/2330
"Earring Magic Ken and "Out and Proud" Billy: New-York Historical Celebrates Pride with Two New Acquisitions". www.nyhistory.org. Retrieved April 27, 2023. https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/earring-ken-proud-billy-new-york-historical-celebrates-pride-two-new-acquisitions