…And Then There’s Mod Hair Ken

Two of the most memorable dolls of my youth were Malibu Barbie and Mod Hair Ken. And guess what? I got both of them in my most recent doll haul! More on that (and Malibu) in an upcoming post, I just want to give Ken the spotlight today.

Mod Hair Ken was launched in 1972. The gimmick was thar he came with a series of peel and stick sideburns, goatees and moustaches. He was also the first Ken with rooted (rather than moulded) hair.

I got a Mod Hair Ken for Christmas or my birthday. He was dressed in a checked sports coat, tan pants, a white Dickie and some loafers — more Herb Tarlek than swinging hipster in attire. Didn’t matter, the fun was switching up his facial hair. But the fun was short lived because the fuzzy stickers had attachment issues and stopped adhering to Ken’s vinyl face after a few minutes. And if the whole point was making the doll look like a magician with a Van Gogh beard, then what good was he?

I spotted this Mod Hair Ken in a lot of dolls and doll clothes on Facebook Marketplace. He was lacking the seventies suit, but I dressed him up in some vintage. And I had some false moustaches left over from last Halloween so I cut out some new fuzz for his face.

The thrill was back! Here’s Ken with plush sideburns and moustache.

And here he is incognito with a beard. Now I want all the dolls to have facial hair.