Ken may get makeover for Barbie

Apparently Ken still isn’t over Barbie. Almost two years after the celebrity couple split following a 43-year romance, Ken is considering a makeover in an effort to win back his baby doll.

“A makeover may be just what Ken needs to step back into the spotlight,” says Russell Arons, vice president of marketing at Mattel, which produces the popular dolls.

Last year, Mattel tried to update Barbie’s image by having her split with Ken and head to a California beach, where she caught the eye of Blaine, an Australian boogie boarder.

“Barbie and Blaine was a great PR stunt, but at the end of the day people want to see Barbie and Ken get back together,” says Chris Byrne, a New York-based independent toy consultant, noting that global sales of Barbie were down in the third quarter.

This wouldn’t be the first time Ken reinvented himself. In the 1970s and ‘80s, he took up inline skating and boogied to disco tunes.