If you bought the the Ken dolls that Mattel released in support of last year’s wildly successful Barbie movie, prepare to be both disappointed and delighted. It appears that they’ve secured the rights to use Ryan Gosling’s likeness for updated dolls, and it starts today with the new Ken Perfect Day doll. It features the same pastel beach outfit with surfboard, only the face has changed from generic Ken to a pretty sold sculpt of the actor.
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You can pre-order the Ryan Gosling Ken Perfect Day Doll here at Entertainment Earth for $25.99 ($7.95 flat shipping fee that becomes free after $99 – includes mint condition guarantee). We also expect it to arrive here on Amazon and here at Walmart at some point. You can order the original figure here at Entertainment Earth (automatic 10% in-stock discount) and here on Amazon now. Odds are Mattel will update some (or all) of the previously released Ken dolls with Ryan Gosling versions, so be on the lookout. This article will be updated with those dolls if/when they become available. On a related note, Walmart officially announced their Barbie World collection today, which includes new world-building playsets from gaming to farming. You can check those out right here.
If you’re wondering why Mattel didn’t have Ryan Gosling’s blessing from day 1, you aren’t alone. We can’t recall an officially licensed action figure with Ryan Gosling’s likeness having being released in the past, so it’s clear that he isn’t particularly interested in this aspect of the business. However, with his portrayal of Ken becoming so iconic, he must have felt that it was okay to make an exception this time around. It was the right call.
Will There Be a Ken Sequel to the Barbie Movie?
Barbie director Greta Gerwig recently addressed a possible Ken sequel. Speaking to 60 Minutes, she left the door open a crack by saying: “I mean, the truth is, you know — I guess we’ll see.” Barbie herself, Margot Robbie also chimed in at the prospect of another movie. In an interview with Variety, she threw a little doubt on the idea of a Ken sequel despite the love that fans have for Ryan Gosling in the role:
“It’s funny, that knee-jerk reaction in this day and age for everyone to immediately ask about a sequel. I don’t think it was like that 20 years ago. This wasn’t designed to be a trilogy,” Robbie began. “Everything went into Barbie – and that’s how Greta works. She finishes every movie on empty, feeling like she could never make another movie because she put everything she had into that one.
She would add, “So I don’t know what it would take to fill that cup up again for her. Or for us. I think Warners would also agree. I don’t know what more could even look like. We want to make more films that have the effect that Barbie has. I don’t know if it has to be Barbie 2. Why can’t it be another big, original, bold idea where we get an amazing filmmaker, a big budget to play with, and the trust of a huge conglomerate behind them to go and really play? I want to do that.”
