The te story of Mattel accintally releasg a super gay Ken doll

gay ken doll worth

Simply put, Ken isn’t ol — and Mattel isn’t havg . The children’s answers, likely rmed by media (some would later ce Madonna’s background dancers) and club-culture trends, spire Ken’s new look and what would bee an famo nightmare for Mattel. The doll was lled Earrg Magic Ken, which is the absolute bt name for an accintally gay doll.

Contents:

THE TE STORY OF MATTEL ACCINTALLY RELEASG A SUPER GAY KEN DOLL

* gay ken doll worth *

” — only a whole lot Cyle Suz for In The KnowThe doll was lled Earrg Magic Ken, which is the absolute bt name for an accintally gay doll.

Te to his name, his ear is pierced on the left si, which was largely nsired to be “the gay ear” to pierce at the time and a vert way of ditg queerns.

And that’s not all to mentn, his necklace was almost cidly moled after a sexual accsory trend of leathers and club-kids the doll’s 1993 release, activist and wrer Dan Savage, who at the time was workg for queer-foced newspaper The Stranger, wrote a piece about the doll’s cidly “gay” look. “New Ken, ” as he was termed, was officially “Gay Ken.

MATTEL MA A GAY KEN DOLL THAT WAS IT'S BT SELLG KEN DOLL EVER

Remember when Mattel accintally ma a super gay Ken doll? We do. And queer people ma him the bt sellg Ken doll, ever. * gay ken doll worth *

Even before Earrg Magic Ken, gay jok surround fashn-lovg Ken for his sat sus and affiliatn wh the hyper-feme world of unlike the jok about Ken’s sexualy, Earrg Magic Ken was the first time queer people weren’t the butt of the “gay Ken” joke. In fact, that year, 44 percent of the natn believed “gay relatnships” — not marriage, simply datg someone of the oppose genr — should be 1993, Mattel (or any other brand, for that matter) would have never knowgly released a product for queer people bee would alienate the brand’s re nsumer: nservative married moms middle Ameri who are buyg Barbie for their Katie Dupere for In The KnowEarrg Magic Ken likely stck such a chord wh gay men and queer people bee was reprentatn when no one wanted to reprent .

The toy giant now sells Creatable World dolls which allow for genr exploratn and Ken dolls that, let’s face , are gayer than Earrg Magic Ken ever was.

HOW BARBIE'S BOYIEND KEN BEME AN ACCINTAL GAY IN

Wh Greta Gerwig's Barbie set to h theaters this July, we cid to take a look back at the past, prent, and future of gay Barbie dolls. * gay ken doll worth *

More om In The Know:Nordstrom lnch first genr clive llectnDolce Va’s unisex Pri llectn go up to women’s shoe size 13The Phluid Project lnch fabric face masks to celebrate Pri MonthShop our favore bety products om In The Know Bety on post The te story of Mattel accintally releasg a super gay Ken doll appeared first on In The Know. So they had no ia that say, Madonna’s ol back up dancers, were actually gay that’s how we end up wh Earrg Magic Ken, a pann to Earrg Magic Barbie clad a purple mh shirt, a purple leather vt, wearg a big, shy, silver rg around his neck.

While he fs to some gay stereotyp, (pecially om the early '90s), ’s the necklace that really got everyone’s gay thor and journalist Dan Savage explas a lumn about the doll om 1993, the late '80s and early '90s, bis beg a sex toy, a ck rg was the queer fashn statement of the time.

The accsory was a staple of the gay club culture that was blowg up at the time, a scene Ken would f right to wh his leather/mh ensemble. Mattel stnchly ni the doll was tend to have anythg to do wh homosexualy at all. Some even claim the bt sellg Barbie mol ever, but as Mattel is unwillg to discs our iend Ken’s current stat, that tle go to Total Hair Barbie (released the year before), he will always have his ltle place history as the time Barbie supported her boyiend explorg his homosexual tennci.

THAT TIME MATTEL ACCINTALLY MA KEN GAY

Whether was tentnal or not, Mattel had created a Ken doll pletely outfted cloth that the "stereotypil gay man" would wear, or at least that's what Savage magaze said. They realized that the cloth he was wearg and the accsori he had were much more mon the gay muny, and when they released their article the toy quickly beme sold out everywhere.

It wasn't beg purchased by children though, stead was the new mt-have llectible for gay men, but Mattel wasn't as happy about the associatn. So I've fallen to a rearch wormhole about Magic Earrg Ken, the ntroversial 1993 doll believed by gay llectors to be wearg a ‘ck rg’ as a necklace.

THE FUTURE OF GAY BARBIE DOLLS AND THE HISTORY OF EARRG MAGIC KEN

The story go that the doll was pulled after fans started hailg Ken, wh his perma-tanned sk, bleach blon hair and mh t-shirt, as a gay in, and as a rult of this ntroversy, that's 's one of the rart Ken dolls out there. So, what is Ken were gay? Gog all the way back to 1993 and releasg a male doll that was obvly gay seems like que a risky choice to make.

The Ken doll released f to so many of the stereotyp of a gay man. Those stereotyp were particularly strong the early 1990s, and that meant that this doll stood out even more at the time as clearly beg a gay man. One might thk that the public at the time would have been repulsed by the ia of purchasg their children a doll that they saw as gay.

The children loved this doll, gay dividuals saw as easier to relate to, and the public bought up rerd numbers. Mattel was really embarrassed by the nnectn between their doll and the ia of him beg gay.

MEET GAY BOB, THE 1977 DOLL THAT URGED PEOPLE TO COME OUT OF THE CLOSET

Though the toy maker ref to release official numbers, the general belief is that the gay Ken doll may have actually sold more than even any of the female Barbie dolls that have ever existed.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY KEN DOLL WORTH

Search-In</tle><sc>Created wh Sketch.</sc><g id="Events-Dktop-Redl" stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-le="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-1106.000000, -311.000000)" fill="#8A8A8A" fill-le="nonzero" id="Search-In"><path d="M1116.72041,320.433962 L1116.04288,320.433962 L1115.80274,320.202401 C1116.64322,319.2247 1117.14923,317.955403 1117.14923,316.574614 C1117.14923,313.495712 1114.65352,311 1111.57461,311 C1108.49571,311 1106,313.495712 1106,316.574614 C1106,319.653516 1108.49571,322.149228 1111.57461,322.149228 C1112.9554,322.149228 1114.2247,321.643225 1115.2024,320.802744 L1115.43396,321.042882 L1115.43396,321.720412 L1119.72213,326 L1121,324.722127 L1116.72041,320.433962 Z M1111.57461,320.433962 C1109.43911,320.433962 1107.71527,318.71012 1107.71527,316.574614 C1107.71527,314.439108 1109.43911,312.715266 1111.57461,312.715266 C1113.71012,312.715266 1115.43396,314.439108 1115.43396,316.574614 C1115.43396,318.71012 1113.71012,320.433962 1111.57461,320.433962 Z"></path></g></g></svg></button></form></div><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-MegaMenu-___MegaMenu__megaMenu_Men"><ul class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-MegaMenu-___MegaMenuSectn__menu" style="transn:opacy 0.3s ease 0s, transform 0s ease 0.5s"><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__menu"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">News</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/polics"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Polics</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/science"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Science</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/tnnews"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Edutn</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/hog"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Hog</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/immigratn"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Immigratn</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/crimaljtice"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Crimal Jtice</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/silinvalley"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Silin Valley</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/fom"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Fom</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/liforniareport"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">The California Report</span></a></div></ul><ul class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-MegaMenu-___MegaMenuSectn__menu" style="transn:opacy 0.3s ease 0s, transform 0s ease 0.5s"><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__menu"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/arts"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">Arts & Culture</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/thedolist"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Crics’ Picks</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/artsmentary"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Cultural Commentary</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/food"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Food & Drk</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/bayareahiphop"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Bay Area Hip-Hop</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/rebelgirls"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Rebel Girls</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/artsvios"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Arts Vio</span></a></div></ul><ul class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-MegaMenu-___MegaMenuSectn__menu" style="transn:opacy 0.3s ease 0s, transform 0s ease 0.5s"><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__menu"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/podsts"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">Podsts</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/podsts/baycur"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Bay Cur</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/podsts/rightnowish"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Rightnowish</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/podsts/thebay"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">The Bay</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/podsts/onourwatch"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">On Our Watch</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/podsts/mdshift"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Mdshift</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/podsts/nsirthis"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Consir This</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/podsts/polilbreakdown"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name">Polil Breakdown</span></a></div></ul><ul class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-MegaMenu-___MegaMenuSectn__menu" style="transn:opacy 0.3s ease 0s, transform 0s ease 0.5s"><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__menu"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/rad"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">Live Rad</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/tv"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">TV</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/events"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">Events</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/tn"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">For Edutors</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/support"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">Support KQED</span></a><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" href="/about"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">About</span></a><a href=" class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk" to=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name ponents-NextHear-ponents-Menu-___Menu__lk_Name__tle">Help Center</span></a></div></ul></div><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-MegaMenu-___MegaMenu__megaMenu_Socials"><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-MegaMenu-___MegaMenu__megaMenu_Ins"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-MegaMenu-___MegaMenu__megaMenu_InsText">KQED is a proud member of</span><svg width="29px" height="10px" viewBox="0 0 29 10" versn="1.1" xmlns=" class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-MegaMenu-___MegaMenu__megaMenu_Ins_NPR"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-le="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-1161.000000, -810.000000)" fill="#231F20"><g transform="translate(1161.000000, 810.000000)"><path d="M0,9.95549326 L28.9906686,9.95549326 L28.9906686,0 L0,0 L0,9.95549326 Z M19.4831387,9.52669557 L28.5617592,9.52669557 L28.5617592,0.428853565 L19.4831387,0.428853565 L19.4831387,9.52669557 Z M9.95621965,9.52669557 L19.0348401,9.52669557 L19.0348401,0.428853565 L9.95621965,0.428853565 L9.95621965,9.52669557 Z M0.428909441,9.52669557 L9.52742197,9.52669557 L9.52742197,0.428853565 L0.428909441,0.428853565 L0.428909441,9.52669557 Z"></path><g id="Group-8" transform="translate(2.905588, 2.468017)"><path d="M1.17665684,1.49396936 C1.28343719,1.35545106 1.43206917,1.23811002 1.62193815,1.14485183 C1.81180713,1.05086724 1.99055665,1.0037632 2.15779557,1.0037632 C2.51987649,1.0037632 2.78076474,1.09953584 2.94018092,1.28985183 C3.09993237,1.48100597 3.17983603,1.78357823 3.17983603,2.19863025 L3.17983603,5.00950694 L4.31899403,5.00950694 L4.31899403,2.01870732 C4.31899403,1.39735857 4.15052582,0.91201368 3.81487457,0.565298844 C3.47927919,0.216963584 3.02047572,0.0434105973 2.44086686,0.0434105973 C1.83600173,0.0434105973 1.37876281,0.222663006 1.06881484,0.581391329 L0.858942004,0.125940462 L0.0381693642,0.125940462 L0.0381693642,5.00950694 L1.17665684,5.00950694 L1.17665684,1.49396936 Z"></path><path d="M10.5991312,1.33561484 C10.8107921,1.12412158 11.053241,1.0171736 11.3262545,1.0171736 C11.8499867,1.0171736 12.2259809,1.13496166 12.4533432,1.37003487 C12.6800349,1.60482871 12.7936881,2.00993468 12.7936881,2.58641445 C12.7936881,3.12540096 12.6791408,3.52044913 12.4509405,3.7704973 C12.2218461,4.02004258 11.8454607,4.14548574 11.3217285,4.14548574 C11.0459212,4.14548574 10.8047574,4.06211773 10.5991312,3.89526994 L10.5991312,1.33561484 Z M10.5991312,4.89116012 C10.8940484,5.03364566 11.22048,5.10578247 11.5794877,5.10578247 C12.3243239,5.10578247 12.9114202,4.89009846 13.3422854,4.45850694 C13.7723682,4.02780944 13.9869347,3.41165723 13.9869347,2.61368227 C13.9869347,0.90055896 13.209243,0.0434105973 11.6525744,0.0434105973 C11.2357902,0.0434105973 10.8846052,0.180587861 10.5991312,0.453657225 L10.5991312,0.125940462 L9.45980559,0.125940462 L9.45980559,6.34361869 L10.5991312,6.34361869 L10.5991312,4.89116012 Z"></path><path d="M20.7841603,2.23924701 C20.7841603,1.89404085 20.8855765,1.60214104 21.0898617,1.36276532 C21.2940909,1.1233896 21.5277114,1.00375761 21.79022,1.00375761 C22.0324455,1.00375761 22.2543877,1.06779229 22.4572759,1.19591753 L22.9379272,0.221148748 C22.7323568,0.10274605 22.4357634,0.0434050096 22.0493202,0.0434050096 C21.5229618,0.0434050096 21.1015399,0.226233526 20.7841603,0.592505202 L20.7841603,0.125934875 L19.6450582,0.125934875 L19.6450582,5.00950135 L20.7841603,5.00950135 L20.7841603,2.23924701 Z"></path></g></g></g></g></svg><svg versn="1.1" x="0px" y="0px" viewBox="223 234 346 144" width="59px"><g><path fill="#2638C4" d="M367,306c0,39.8-32.2,72-72,72c-39.8,0-72-32.2-72-72c0-39.8,32.2-72,72-72C334.8,234,367,266.2,367,306"></path><g><path fill="#2638C4" d="M547.4,298c-7.9-4.1-14.2-7.4-14.2-13.7c0-4.5,3.8-7.2,10.3-7.2c7.6,0,14.4,2.5,19.6,5.6v-16.3 c-5.4-2.3-12.9-4.3-19.6-4.3c-19,0-27.5,11.3-27.5,23.6c0,14.4,9.7,21.3,20.3,26.9c10.5,5.6,14.5,8,14.5,14c0,5.1-4.4,8-11.8,8 c-10.3,0-17.5-4.7-22.3-8.5l0,17.3c4.4,3.1,13.9,6.8,22.1,6.8c18.4,0,30.1-9.6,30.1-25.1C569,308.9,555.3,302.1,547.4,298z"></path><path fill="#2638C4" d="M406.8,262.8H384v86.4h17v-27.5h3.4c21.3,0,34.5-11.3,34.5-29.5C439,273.8,427,262.8,406.8,262.8z M401,277.2 h5c10,0,16.4,5.8,16.4,14.7c0,9.7-5.9,15.2-16.3,15.2H401V277.2z"></path><path fill="#2638C4" d="M493.3,302.7c5.8-4,8.6-9.9,8.6-17.8c0-13.6-10-22.1-26.2-22.1h-26.4v86.4h27.5c21.1,0,30.7-13.6,30.7-26.2 C507.6,313.1,502.1,305.4,493.3,302.7z M474.4,277.4c6.7,0,11,4.1,11,10.6c0,6.5-4.7,10.7-11.9,10.7h-7.2v-21.2H474.4z M466.3,334.8v-22.6h10.8c8.6,0,13.7,4.2,13.7,11.2c0,7.5-5.1,11.3-15.3,11.3H466.3z"></path></g><g><g><path fill="#FFFFFF" d="M347.5,306.7l-8,1.6v14.8c0,5-4.1,8.9-9.4,8.9H326v17.2h-13.2V332h4.1c5.3,0,9.4-4,9.4-8.9v-14.8l8-1.6 c1.7-0.4,2.6-2.3,1.8-3.8l-21-40.1h13.1l21,40.1C350.1,304.4,349.2,306.4,347.5,306.7z"></path></g><path fill="#FFFFFF" d="M320.5,302.9l-21-40.1h-21.7c-19.7,0-36.5,16.1-36,35.9c0.3,14.7,9.8,25.7,23,29.9v20.6h32.4V332h4.1 c5.3,0,9.4-4,9.4-8.9v-14.8l8-1.6C320.5,306.4,321.4,304.4,320.5,302.9z M293.3,300.6c-4.5,0-8.2-3.7-8.2-8.2s3.7-8.2,8.2-8.2 c4.5,0,8.2,3.7,8.2,8.2S297.8,300.6,293.3,300.6z"></path></g></g></svg></div><div><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Log-___Log__log ponents-NextHear-ponents-Log-___Log__log__megaMenu"><span class=""><svg class="in in-log ponents-NextHear-ponents-Log-___Log__log_In ponents-NextHear-ponents-Log-___Log__log_In__megaMenu" width="20px" height="20px" viewBox="0 0 20 20" versn="1.1" xmlns="><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-le="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-931.000000, -271.000000)" fill="#404040" fill-le="nonzero"><g transform="translate(931.000000, 271.000000)"><path d="M10,0 C4.48,0 0,4.48 0,10 C0,15.52 4.48,20 10,20 C15.52,20 20,15.52 20,10 C20,4.48 15.52,0 10,0 Z M10,3 C11.66,3 13,4.34 13,6 C13,7.66 11.66,9 10,9 C8.34,9 7,7.66 7,6 C7,4.34 8.34,3 10,3 Z M10,17.2 C7.5,17.2 5.29,15.92 4,13.98 C4.03,11.99 8,10.9 10,10.9 C11.99,10.9 15.97,11.99 16,13.98 C14.71,15.92 12.5,17.2 10,17.2 Z"></path></g></g></g></svg></span><span tabx="0" class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Log-___Log__log_Lk ponents-NextHear-ponents-Log-___Log__log_Lk__megaMenu">Sign In</span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="ponents-NextHear-___NextHear__hear_Items"><a class="ponents-NextHear-___NextHear__hear_Logo" href="/"><svg class="logo logo-kqed" viewBox="0 0 99 31" versn="1.1" xmlns="><tle>KQED</tle><g fill="none"><path fill="#FFF" d="M6.988 13.215l-3.615 3.688v9.036H0V0h3.373v12.662L15.423 0h4.155l-10.3 10.757L20 26h-4.096M56.41 14.226v8.647H71V26H53V0h17.522v3.19H56.35v7.848h12.258v3.188"></path><path class="highlight" d="M47.866 13.69C47.866 6.27 41.68.223 34.232.223 26.72.223 20.534 6.27 20.534 13.69c0 7.42 6.123 13.53 13.698 13.53 2.398 0 4.607-.623 6.564-1.683l4.23 5.175 2.65-2.12-4.103-5.05c2.65-2.432 4.293-5.986 4.293-9.852zm-23.86.063c0-5.55 4.608-10.1 10.226-10.1 5.617 0 10.225 4.55 10.288 10.1 0 5.55-4.608 10.1-10.225 10.1-5.618 0-10.29-4.614-10.29-10.1z" fill="#fff"></path><path d="M99 13.03C99 6.856 94.732 0 85.144 0H75v26h10.144C93.742 26.06 99 19.762 99 13.03zM78.588 3.274h5.876c7.423 0 10.763 4.508 10.763 9.82 0 3.273-1.98 9.82-10.578 9.82h-6.062V3.272z" fill="#FFF"></path></g></svg></a><div class="ponents-NextHear-___NextHear__hear_Tagle">Inform. Inspire. Involve.</div><div class="ponents-NextHear-___NextHear__hear_Post"><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-SaveArticle-___SaveArticle__SaveArticle"><a href="#" tabx="0"><svg class="in ponents-NextHear-ponents-SaveArticle-___SaveArticle__SaveArticle_In" width="24px" height="24px" viewBox="0 0 24 24" versn="1.1" xmlns="><tle>Save Article</tle><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-le="evenodd"><g><polygon pots="0 0 24 0 24 24 0 24"></polygon><path d="M19,3 L5,3 L5,21 L12,18 L19,21 L19,3 Z M17,18 L12,15.82 L7,18 L7,5 L17,5 L17,18 Z" fill="#fff" fill-le="nonzero"></path></g></g></svg></a><span>Save Article</span></div></div><div class="ponents-NextHear-___NextHear__hear_Log"><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Log-___Log__log"><span class=""><svg class="in in-log ponents-NextHear-ponents-Log-___Log__log_In" width="20px" height="20px" viewBox="0 0 20 20" versn="1.1" xmlns="><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-le="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-931.000000, -271.000000)" fill="whe" fill-le="nonzero"><g transform="translate(931.000000, 271.000000)"><path d="M10,0 C4.48,0 0,4.48 0,10 C0,15.52 4.48,20 10,20 C15.52,20 20,15.52 20,10 C20,4.48 15.52,0 10,0 Z M10,3 C11.66,3 13,4.34 13,6 C13,7.66 11.66,9 10,9 C8.34,9 7,7.66 7,6 C7,4.34 8.34,3 10,3 Z M10,17.2 C7.5,17.2 5.29,15.92 4,13.98 C4.03,11.99 8,10.9 10,10.9 C11.99,10.9 15.97,11.99 16,13.98 C14.71,15.92 12.5,17.2 10,17.2 Z"></path></g></g></g></svg></span><span tabx="0" class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-Log-___Log__log_Lk">Sign In</span></div></div></div></div></div><div id="navBar" class="ponents-NextHear-___NextHear__subnav"><div class="ponents-NextHear-___NextHear__gradient"></div><nav class="ponents-NextHear-___NextHear__subnav_Inner"><div class="ponents-NextHear-___NextHear__subnav_PageMenu"><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__wrap"><ul class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav unfed"><li class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Item" data-x="0"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Lk" data-transn-unrle="te" data-transn-dropdown="false" href="/arts"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_LkText">Arts & Culture</span></a></li><li class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Item" data-x="1"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Lk" data-transn-unrle="te" data-transn-dropdown="false" href="/thedolist"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_LkText">Crics’ Picks</span></a></li><li class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Item" data-x="2"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Lk" data-transn-unrle="te" data-transn-dropdown="false" href="/artsmentary"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_LkText">Cultural Commentary</span></a></li><li class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Item" data-x="3"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Lk" data-transn-unrle="te" data-transn-dropdown="false" href="/food"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_LkText">Food & Drk</span></a></li><li class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Item" data-x="4"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Lk" data-transn-unrle="te" data-transn-dropdown="false" href="/bayareahiphop"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_LkText">Bay Area Hip-Hop</span></a></li><li class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Item" data-x="5"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Lk" data-transn-unrle="te" data-transn-dropdown="false" href="/rebelgirls"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_LkText">Rebel Girls</span></a></li><li class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Item" data-x="6"><a class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_Lk" data-transn-unrle="te" data-transn-dropdown="false" href="/artsvios"><span class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_LkText">Arts Vio</span></a></li><div></div><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_ItemUnrle" style="left:0;width:0;transn-property:all"></div><div class="ponents-NextHear-ponents-PageMenu-___PageMenu__subnav_DropdownBg" style="width:240px;height:0;marg-top:10px;transn-property:all"></div></ul></div></div></nav></div></hear><d id="kqed-d-player" preload="none" src="></d><ma class="page-ma" id="ma-ntent"><div><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-___PostView__postView"><div><div id="scrollarts_13880161"><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__wrap rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__wrap__first"><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__ntaer ntaer"><article class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__mpost"><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__mpost_Column rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__lumn__Standard"><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__mpost_Tle"><div><div class="ponents-Label-___Label__postLabel"><a class="ponents-Label-___Label__tegoryLabel" href="/arts"><span class="ponents-Label-___Label__tegoryLabel_Text">Arts & Culture</span></a></div><h1 class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostTle-___PostTle__tle">Meet Gay Bob, the 1977 Doll That Urged People to Come Out of the Closet</h1></div></div><div></div><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__mpost_Info"><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__mpost_Authors"><span class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostAuthors-___PostAuthors__thors"><span class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostAuthors-___PostAuthors__thor"><a href="/thor/ralexandra"><span>Rae Alexandra</span></a><a class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostAuthors-___PostAuthors__twter" tle="Rae Alexandra on Twter" href="><svg class="in in-twter unfed" xmlns=" viewBox="0 0 23 18" height="18px" width="23px"><path class="lor" fill="#dadada" d="M22.357 2.718c-.827.338-1.654.592-2.574.676a4.6 4.6 0 002.023-2.281c-.92.507-1.839.845-2.85 1.014-.827-.845-2.022-1.352-3.31-1.352-2.481 0-4.504 1.859-4.504 4.14 0 .338 0 .676.092.93-3.86-.17-7.17-1.86-9.376-4.394a3.586 3.586 0 00-.644 2.112c0 1.436.828 2.704 2.023 3.464-.736 0-1.471-.169-2.023-.507v.085c0 2.027 1.563 3.717 3.585 4.055-.367.085-.735.17-1.195.17-.275 0-.551 0-.827-.085.552 1.69 2.206 2.872 4.229 2.872a9.724 9.724 0 01-5.608 1.774c-.368 0-.735 0-1.103-.084a13.705 13.705 0 006.895 1.859c8.365 0 12.87-6.337 12.87-11.829V4.83c.919-.591 1.654-1.351 2.297-2.112z"></path></svg></a></span></span></div><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__mpost_Date"><time class="ponents-DateFormatted-___DateFormatted__dateTime" dateTime="2020-06-12T19:52:45.000Z">Jun 12, 2020</time></div><sectn class="ponents-SavePost-___SavePost__saveArticleWrap rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__mpost_SavePost"><div class="ponents-SavePost-___SavePost__saveArticle ponents-SavePost-___SavePost__saveArticle__unsaved"><a href="#" tabx="0"><svg class="in ponents-SavePost-___SavePost__saveArticle_In" width="24px" height="24px" viewBox="0 0 24 24" versn="1.1" xmlns="><tle>Save Article</tle><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-le="evenodd"><polygon pots="0 0 24 0 24 24 0 24"></polygon><path class="lor" d="M19,3 L5,3 L5,21 L12,18 L19,21 L19,3 Z M17,18 L12,15.8 L7,18 L7,5 L17,5 L17,18 Z" fill="#636363" fill-le="nonzero"></path><polygon class="lor" fill="#fff" pots="17 18 12 15.8 7 18 7 5 17 5"></polygon></g></svg></a>Save Article</div><div class="ponents-SavePost-___SavePost__savedArticle ponents-SavePost-___SavePost__savedArticle__unsaved"><h2>Failed to save article</h2><p>Please try aga</p></div></sectn><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__mpost_Spacer"></div><div class="rout-Se-rout-Post-ponents-Post-ponents-PostMise-___PostMise__mpost_Social"><ul class="ponents-SocialMi-___SocialMi__social ponents-SocialMi-___SocialMi__social__morn"><li class="ponents-SocialMi-___SocialMi__social_em"><a class="ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button__morn"><span class="ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button_Label">Facebook</span><svg class="in in-facebook ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button_In ponents-ShareButton-ponents-ShareFacebook-___ShareFacebook__share" width="32px" height="32px" viewBox="0 0 32 32" versn="1.1" xmlns="><tle>Share-FB</tle><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-le="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-558.000000, -239.000000)"><g transform="translate(559.000000, 240.000000)"><ellipse class="circle" stroke="#939393" stroke-width="0.9" fill="#ffffff" fill-le="nonzero" cx="15.2586868" cy="15" rx="15.2586868" ry="15"></ellipse><path class="symbol" d="M13.6388196,22 L13.6181818,15.1818182 L11,15.1818182 L11,12.4545455 L13.6181818,12.4545455 L13.6181818,10.75 C13.6181818,8.2195 15.1225367,7 17.2896189,7 C18.3276756,7 19.2198276,7.08050227 19.4798262,7.11648864 L19.4798262,9.76100909 L17.9768393,9.76171818 C16.7982582,9.76171818 16.5700575,10.3450955 16.5700575,11.2011659 L16.5700575,12.4545455 L20,12.4545455 L18.6909091,15.1818182 L16.5700575,15.1818182 L16.5700575,22 L13.6388196,22 Z" id="Mask" fill="#939393"></path></g></g></g></svg><span></span></a></li><li class="ponents-SocialMi-___SocialMi__social_em"><a href=" class="ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button__morn" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button_Label">Twter</span><svg class="in in-twter ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button_In ponents-ShareButton-ponents-ShareTwter-___ShareTwter__share" width="32px" height="32px" viewBox="0 0 32 32" versn="1.1" xmlns="><tle>Share-Twter</tle><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-le="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-603.000000, -239.000000)"><g transform="translate(604.000000, 240.000000)"><ellipse class="circle" stroke="#939393" stroke-width="0.9" fill="#ffffff" fill-le="nonzero" cx="15.2586868" cy="15" rx="15.2586868" ry="15"></ellipse><path class="symbol" d="M23.9008621,10.400522 C23.3045797,10.6440911 22.7082974,10.8267678 22.0457615,10.8876601 C22.7082974,10.5223065 23.2383261,9.91338392 23.5033405,9.24356905 C22.8408046,9.60892261 22.1782687,9.85249166 21.4494792,9.97427618 C20.8531968,9.36535357 19.9919001,9 19.0643499,9 C17.2755029,9 15.8179239,10.3396298 15.8179239,11.9837208 C15.8179239,12.2272899 15.8179239,12.4708589 15.8841774,12.6535357 C13.1015266,12.5317512 10.7163973,11.3139059 9.12631106,9.48713809 C8.7950431,9.97427618 8.66253592,10.4614143 8.66253592,11.0094446 C8.66253592,12.0446131 9.25881825,12.957997 10.1201149,13.5060274 C9.59008621,13.5060274 9.06005747,13.3842428 8.66253592,13.1406738 C8.66253592,13.1406738 8.66253592,13.1406738 8.66253592,13.201566 C8.66253592,14.6629803 9.78884698,15.8808255 11.246426,16.1243946 C10.9814116,16.1852869 10.7163973,16.2461791 10.3851293,16.2461791 C10.1863685,16.2461791 9.98760776,16.2461791 9.78884698,16.1852869 C10.1863685,17.4031321 11.3789332,18.2556237 12.8365122,18.2556237 C11.7102011,19.0472231 10.3188757,19.5343612 8.7950431,19.5343612 C8.53002874,19.5343612 8.26501437,19.5343612 8,19.473469 C9.45757902,20.3259606 11.1801724,20.8130987 12.9690194,20.8130987 C18.9980963,20.8130987 22.2445223,16.2461791 22.2445223,12.2881821 L22.2445223,11.9228286 C22.9070582,11.4965827 23.4370869,10.9485524 23.9008621,10.400522 Z" id="Mask" fill="#939393"></path></g></g></g></svg><span></span></a></li><li class="ponents-SocialMi-___SocialMi__social_em"><a href="mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20article%20om%20KQED&body=%2Farts%2F13880161%2Fmeet-gay-bob-the-1977-doll-that-urged-people-to-e-out-of-the-closet" class="ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button__morn"><span class="ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button_Label">Email</span><svg class="in in-email ponents-ShareButton-___ShareButton__button_In ponents-ShareButton-ponents-ShareEmail-___ShareEmail__share" width="32px" height="32px" viewBox="0 0 32 32" versn="1.1" xmlns="><tle>Share-Email .

TOP