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Feb 26, 2011

When Ken Met Allan or "Guys and Dolls"



He's here.  After yesterday's rant about my eBay seller, how embarrassed I was when the mail delivery person dropped off a big Priority Mail box not an hour later.  Oh, Joy!

I sliced the box open.



I removed its contents.



I opened the lid...



After a near fifty-year slumber, there was my Mattel Allan, looking fresh as a daisy -- the miracle of injection-molded vinyl.  Even his breath was minty.



I left the room and gave Allan and Ken a few minutes to get acquainted.



They seemed to like each other.

Next, we had to put some street clothes on Allan and get Ken out of the suit he'd been wearing since 1964. So many choices!

Tennis whites?



Dinner clothes?



I opted for casuals.





Readers, I am so happy.  Metal stands should arrive any day now, so they won't have to lean.  Should I splurge for acrylic display boxes too?

Only one small regret.  Allan was looking a little dusty so, after some online research, I took a little diluted rubbing alcohol to his youthful visage and gently wiped it with an old rag.  He looked better than ever!



Then I took the rag to Ken.  Now Ken, who looked absolutely pristine when he arrived, may have been touched up over the years.   Look what happened:

Before:



After:



Folks, it seems Ken had been penciling his brows for years.  Or maybe not.  In any case, I think you'll agree that if you didn't know his brows were supposed to be six shades darker than his hair, you wouldn't think he looked unusual.



Allan prefers that Ken's brows match his hair.  Thank goodness!

Much of Allan's wardrobe is pristine, and given what a PITA it is to get them dressed and undressed, I wouldn't be surprised if Allan had hardly been played with at all.  They don't bend at the elbows or knees.  Try putting socks on without bending your ankles -- and then shoes.

Friends, I think that's all we have time for today.  I'm taking Ken and Allan out for brunch and then maybe a movie.  If you'd like to see more photos of the boys and their clothes, you can find them here.

In closing, if you had to date a 12" vinyl doll, whom would you choose, Ken or Allan? 

Skin diving, anyone? 



Have a great day, everybody!

26 comments:

  1. I LOVE the clothes. Is that a toreador jacket I see in the pile?

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  2. I have never seen an Alan doll before up close and personal like this. Somehow he by-passed me. He is cute. I love the turned up nose and school boy freshness about him.

    If Alan had darker hair, I think I would choose him over Ken.

    I think I hear hints of another obsession in this post. Stands? Soon you are going to be splurging on a house for the two of them...with matching Willy and Freddie dogs.

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  3. The teeny tiny working zipper on Ken's blue jacket is awesome!

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  4. After you've wiped away Ken's eyebrows he looks a bit like Van Johnson :p

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  5. You could do worse than Van Johnson!

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  6. THis is genius. I didn't really understand the appeal of the dolls till I saw them - and the wardrobe - and the case!??! Fantastic. You have to get the display boxes.

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  7. Also, never cared about Ken or Allan, but I have to say, they are much less generic looking (though still WASPy) than Barbie and her peeps.

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  8. Ken and Allan are fabulous! It looks like they'll get along famously. I just hope there aren't any problems with sharing the wardrobe. I say splurge on the display boxes. Is that commercial for real?

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  9. Hi Peter,

    Great new roommates I didn't know Ken had his own luggage! Although I love both of the guys I would honestly say I've always had a "thing" for Midge,love those freckles !
    elise

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  10. I've always been impartial to Allen, although I have only have two of him compared to six Ken dolls. I will say that I'm envying your clothes pile that he came with, lots of lovely clothes, especially shoes. My poor guys are stuck wearing modern Ken shoes that are too big for them. One day they'll get better shoes, it's just tough being a Ken in Barbie's world.

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  11. I like Ken better without the heavy brows and liner. I seem to remember him with more au naturale face, although I had a brunette version with the flocked hair not blonde. They're cute together and the clothes are great. Be sure the boys don't fight over their wardrobe!

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  12. I have a few cards of buttons for doll clothes, if you ever need them.

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  13. OMG!!! The clothes are adorable!! I think I'd go out this Allen if I had to choose. How adorable is that commercial. I had that skipper doll that was shown.
    What a fun package to receive in the mail!!

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  14. The clothes are amazing! I remember there being a lot of detail in Barbie's clothing when I was a kid...always loved the little coat hangers, buttons and snaps. I always had a 'thing' for Ken...but have to admit, that the wave in Allen's hair is quite distracting! And not being a fan of molded hair my favorite Ken was the awesome Mod Hair Ken...there's just nothing like stick on sideburns! http://www.manbehindthedoll.com/modhair.htm

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  15. I like Allen better...I love the wave in the hair and the 50's look of him....

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  16. ha ha, you can tell it's Mattel: It's swell!

    I'm not sure I know what skin-diving is, and I think Allen looks like a teenage Opie.

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  17. Fabulous, I love Ken loves Allan, apparently. LOVES.

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  18. Hey, I see how they're checking each other out. I think bunk beds are definitely in order!

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  19. I have a confession to make. I never liked Barbies much. I had a tendency to either sacrifice them to the "great volcano god" in my sandbox or pop their heads off and used them for grenades in games of War.

    Baby dolls were a different story. :) I still have a small collection of My Child dolls from the 80s. Even have some rare ones worth a few hundred bucks.

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  20. I learned to sew by making clothes for my Barbie doll. Now there's a challenge for you, Peter!

    I do not remember Allen . . . Ken, Midge, Skipper, yes. But not Allen. Hhhmmm.....

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  21. I used to have an Allen doll. One of my friends drew on his hair with a ball point pen and my mom tried to tissue it off with nail polish remover. It took off ALL the paint underneath - don't use nail polish remover!

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  22. I've been buying and restoring vinyl dolls. For safe cleaning supplies, try

    http://www.twinpines.com/

    I don't have fashion dolls-- I've always loved baby dolls from the 50's and 60's.

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  23. "friends"? "bunk beds"? lets dump the homophobic euphemisms - these tiny men are clearly lovers.

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  24. Sweet ! Another Barbie Fan Man ! Your 60's Barbie has a Hair Fair head. The boys look great. Love the vintage wardrobe,which is worthna small fortune.

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  25. I'm an adult Barbie collector and Allan is my favorite doll. Not sure where this idea started about him and Ken having a "relationship" other than friends, but Allan definitely likes Midge, always did. It's odd how people link Ken and Allan together as having a "thing" for each other, but they never say that about Barbie and Midge (who also share their wardrobe)!

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