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The world was shocked by Barbie and Ken's breakup back in 2004. But the evidence from over the past 40 years—from Ken's fabulous outfits to his career as a hairstylist—should have braced us for this inevitable parting of ways.
In 2011, when Mattel Inc. launched a digital marketing campaign in hopes of reuniting America's most famous couple, a few friends and I decided to introduce a fun, alternative campaign of our own:
Enter Ben Collins, Ken's secret boyfriend.
The following website, kenandben.com, spoofs the then-existing kenandbarbie.com. We received over 30,000 votes in the first week alone, were given plugs on sites like Queerty and The Advocate, and were also written about on various blogs from around the world.