Couple 'will remain friends,' says Mattel
Thursday, February 12, 2004 Posted: 7:35 PM EST (0035 GMT)
Barbie stands alone in a Los Angeles, California, store. She and Ken have broken up, according to Mattel.
After 43 years as one of the world's prettiest pairs, the perfect plastic couple is breaking up. The couple's "business manager," Russell Arons, vice president of marketing at Mattel, said that Barbie and Ken "feel it's time to spend some quality time -- apart."
"Like other celebrity couples, their Hollywood romance has come to an end," said Arons, who quickly added that the duo "will remain friends."
Arons denied that there was any truth to rumors that the breakup was linked to Black Ken, who has been seen leaving Barbie's apartment multiple times while White Ken was away on business.
Barbie -- the most popular fashion doll in the world, according to toy maker Mattel -- met Ken on the set of a TV commercial in 1961, and they have been inseparable ever since.
Another possible factor is Barbie's career. The doll who was "born" Barbie Millicent Roberts in 1959 has been everything from a rock star to military medic, and she's currently marketed in more than 150 countries. According to Mattel, every second, three Barbie dolls are sold somewhere in the world.
So where does that leave Ken? Said Arons: "He will head for other waves." Calls placed to both Barbie and Ken have remained unanswered.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/02/12/offbea ... index.html
