the most beautiful marketing blunder: Earring Magic Ken
What: Mattel's 1993 release of an updated Ken doll, with surprising results: Why: This month's hoax touting an oddly-endowed inflatable Wolverine reminded me of the greatest of all shockingly bad brand extensions. In 1993, Mattel surveyed five-year-old girls about whether Ken and Barbie should be splitsville. Girls supported keeping Ken as Barbie's boy-toy, but they […]