"[5] 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.
"[8] He also suggested that little girls' idea of coolness was shaped by homoerotic MTV music videos, Madonna's dancers, and what ACT UP/Queer Nation members were wearing to demonstrations and parties.
[8] Donna Gibbs told the San Francisco Examiner in November 1993 that the team of women who made the doll were surprised that gay men wanted him.
'"[11] On February 11, 1993, Carol Lawson at The New York Times responded to his unveiling at the American International Toy Fair with the claim that Mattel was attempting to "gender bend" Ken by making him appeal to both boys and girls.
"[6] The article discussing Ken's "gender-bending" went on to be syndicated throughout North America, including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer,[6] the Vancouver Sun,[6] and the Philadelphia Daily News.
[12] Several days later, Frank DeCaro responded to this article in Newsday, writing, "Ever since Mattel introduced Earring Magic Ken a few weeks ago, people have been wondering whether there's something more in the Dream House closet than a few Bob Mackie originals and some two-inch-wide hangers.
In another widely syndicated article, opinion writer Tom Zucco expressed extreme distaste for Ken's recent outfits in the Saint Petersburg Times.
"[8] 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.
"[8] Despite the controversy, Donna Gibbs from Mattel told the Wall Street Journal in August 1993 that, "Everybody loves Barbie and we're pleased that [gay men] are finding something to enjoy in our products as well.
"[17] However, by October 1993, Lisa McKendall was phrasing this statement to the Bay Area Reporter as, "if there are 'other people' who enjoy our product, of course we're pleased" and emphasizing that Ken was "wholesome.
"[18] Donna Gibbs told the San Francisco Examiner in November 1993, "The Ken doll was not intentionally designed for any audience other than our primary one, girls ages 3 to 10.
[22] Toy scalper Mr. Barger told the Wall Street Journal in 1996 that Earring Magic Ken was so popular that he was able to re-sell him to specialty shops at premium prices.
[25] 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.
"[4] 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.
[35] 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.