Do you know why Barbie and Ken are called that? And Allan? And by the way: did this doll exist?
Children around the world have known the names of Barbie and Ken since 1959, who became the stars of movie summer 2023 thanks to Greta Gerwig’s film led by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. But do you know why dolls are called that?
For Barbie, the answer is currently in theaters, and it is given to us during the scene where the famous doll meets its creator Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman), who confesses to having given her the first name of her daughter Barbara.
Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Except in the film where, when she returns to the real world on the occasion of the very last scene, the heroine claims to be called Barbara Handler. A way to come full circle and pay a final tribute to the creator of the doll as well as to her daughter.
For his part, Ken is called Kenneth Sean Carson. And he’s named after Ruth Handler’s husband. Who has not given hers to any of the friends of her creation, while she has more than once been inspired by her personal and family life. Especially to give Allan a name. which did indeed exist.
Warner Bros. Pictures Allan (Michael Cera)
Played by Michael Cera in the film, he has everything from the character born in the minds of Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach. But no. First presented as a friend of Ken, he appeared in 1964, and had around ten variants until 2014, losing a “I” in his first name to become Alan in 1991.
To know the origin of his initial name, one should not look further than the family circle of Ruth Handler, since Allan was the first name of his son-in-law, husband of his daughter Barbara. A family story to the end, and even on the big screen, Greta Gerwig having co-written the film with her companion Noah Baumbach.