When you think of “Barbie,” you immediately think of blonde hair, a pretty face, and pink clothes. However, it was a completely different doll that caused the buzz in “Ramas ražuje”. Simone and Andrea from Koblenz came to Wednesday's ZDF junk show with their Allan figure. The doll from the world of Barbie, Ken's best friend, “has not been produced for a long time.” Bianca Berding knew the strange reasons for this. Horst Lichter could only shake his head after so much “shock”. “He doesn't usually play with dolls,” Lichter said, surprised to see expert Bianca Berding standing behind the table with an “Allan” figure. She admitted, “I was a Barbie girl” and knew her stuff. Apparently, the character was Ken's best friend who met a tragic fate in Barbie's pink world.
Allan is always in the shadow of Barbie and Ken
The first “Barbie” was launched in 1959. Two years later her boyfriend Ken and in 1964 her best friend Allan. The American toy company Mattel's pitch at the time was “that Ken's clothes also fit Allan,” Berding explained. But unfortunately, Allan didn't have success for long… Just two years later, Ken's best friend disappeared from Mattel's product line. This was due to rumors that Allan and Ken were a homosexual couple “because the clothes were interchangeable,” the expert said. Lichter rolled his eyes and sighed, “What nonsense.”
The movie “Barbie” gives Allan a new stage
The rumor about Ken and Allan apparently did not fit into the normative, conservative world of the 1960s, and so Allan disappeared from the pink world of Barbie. But in 1991, Allan's character experienced a revival, this time as the husband of Barbie's best friend, Midge. But that picture also went wrong, Berding continued. Because Midge got pregnant – with a removable baby bump, which Mattel said was supposed to have an educational purpose to play out different family constellations. But some buyers saw it as promoting Tennie's pregnancy, Berding said, and so Allan faded back into obscurity.
“Oh, holy crap,” Lichter sighed, shaking his head again, distracted by many social ideas. But Allan's story wasn't over yet. Because in the 2023 cinema blockbuster “Barbie” he again played a special role – as an individual. “Allan is not really part of the Barbie group – as a man who is not in the macho world, but who represents a wonderful new image of men, which is a little more diverse,” explained Berding. This appearance in the film put the character “completely in focus”. Since there were now Allan costumes for cosplay and carnival, the expert continued.
200 euros for Allan's doll
The current attention around Barbie and Allan also influenced the price development. The seller Andrea, who found the doll in the attic of her newly bought house, wanted 300 euros. Although it was the “first Allan” from 1964, Berding estimated the value of the doll at only 100-150 euros. Even with a short production time, a company as large as Mattel produced many figures, Berding explained his estimate. Especially since the selling price at that time was only 12.75 German marks. The dealer card was still accepted. A good decision as the versatile man was well received in the dealers room.
Julian Schmitz-Avila admitted that he was “familiar with the matter”. Her cousin used to play with Barbie too. He also praised Allan's wide range of clothes. Daniel Meyer, on the other hand, liked the fact that it was a US version of the character: because “there's a German version of Ken Buddy,” he knew. “This is a good man,” Susanne Steiger admitted. But Schmitz-Avila made the first offer: 80 euros. However, dealer Meyer's interest was so great that he immediately raised the price to 200 euros. Schmitz-Avila got out and cynically thanked him. “It was probably still missing from your collection,” Leo Leo smiled after selling Allan to Meyer.
Horst Lichter's original article “Disease”: The Barbie doll is angry is from Teleschau.