Seems like a good night to post one of my favourite moments from recent #Oscars. I was actually a little nervous for our Canadian boy, and it seemed like everyone in the theatre was too. We needn't have been. 😂 #ImJustKen youtu.be/fo6T5BwxFh0?...

Ryan Gosling, Mark Ronson, Sla...

Two years ago, we saw the Barbie movie become the biggest earning movie of 2023, and for the most part, it was a lovely time! I did notice that the brief cameo of the Earring Magic Ken—aka the gay one—kind of had a mothballed depiction when you consider the source material.

The original doll launched in 1993 and was a favorite among the LGBT community at the time, but more conservative households found Ken being feminized and emasculating. The doll was eventually retired the following based on normal deprioritization schedules, but the move was seen as Mattel finding the LGBT community’s response as problematic to the brand.

Whatever the history, it remains a major part of toy history and its mothballed presentation was seen as a disappointment. Therefore, I made it a mission to represent Ken in the Earring Magic look as originally intended.

Done mainly in Illustrator in early 2024, only marginally touched up in Photoshop.

#kendoll #gayken #earringmagicken #LGBT #LGBTQ #queerart #queerartist #gayartist #gayart #fanart #vectorart #digitalart #barbie #ken #kenough #imjustken

My Spider-Ken cosplay parody at Toronto ComiCon! #cosplay #comicon #imjustken