Toy Story 3 "Made For Each Other" KEN & BARBIE

[JeffSaylor]

Together forever...

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I know it’s been some time since the critically acclaimed TOY STORY 3 was released in theaters, but with the DVD release on the horizon, I figured, better late than never right? If you've seen the movie or even the trailers, Ken & Barbie (played by Michael Keaton and Jodi Benson) play integral characters to the story. What slays me is not only are they hilarious characters but it lead me to go against an early vow of mine to never own a Barbie or a Ken doll. But who better to do that than the people at Pixar?

So today, we'll pause from being Figures.com and act as Dolls.com as well. Toy company Mattel won the rights for the general Toy Story 3 toys but since they already own Ken & Barbie, they were able to slap up this property too with the Toy Story 3 banner. Several Barbies have been released solo but only one set comes with Ken. You must be cautious, however, as there is a variant in the mix. The early shipments of Ken & Barbie included the generic version of Ken (pictured on the box) but later shipments included a more screen accurate Ken, making this a highly sought after collectible. It was hard even getting a simple answer from Mattel on the validity of the variant but finding one in the store was proof enough that it was real.

With Thinkway's Toy Story Collection being full size movie toys, normal sized Ken & Barbie was a perfect match although one does have to understand that these really are dolls made for kids. Clothes aren't tailored exactly as they would you and I. They have large strips of Velcro on the back holding their outfits together so certain things don’t fit the way they do on screen.

The sculpt of this Ken isn't an exact likeness to his movie counterpart but it's close enough and instantly recognizable. Barbie on the other hand is a typical Barbie doll wearing the classic clothes. I wish that they had made a screen-accurate sculpt for Barbie as well since she does have a slightly different look and smile on film but it really is all about Ken here since you can't recreate Lotso's gang without him.

Being dolls, they're very limited in articulation so don't expect too much more than the limbs, neck, and a slight joint in the knees. The plastic also doesn't hold its weight as Barbie cannot stand up on her own (a stand was digitally erased for the review) and especially with those heels.

Despite what the packaging shows, there are no accessories beyond their outfits. The box shows Barbie carrying some gym equipment but nothing is included.

It's been awhile since I've seen these in the stores so I hope Mattel still has plans to release more of them. Releasing another outfit for Ken would also be a smart move or Barbie in space outfit.

In the end, these are still Barbie and Ken dolls and while I wish they were made closer to Pixar's data, this is the more authentic way to go. For $25 retail, you're not getting a huge value but it's not bad for getting two characters in one go.

Review and Photography by David Yeh

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