It has been announced that Former Iowa State Cyclones defensive lineman Kurtis Taylor has won the “Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend” contest. What does that mean, you ask? It means that Taylor will be the face of the new, improved and updated Ken doll. Now that’s a feather for his cap, wouldn’t you agree? Isn’t every young boy’s dream to one day have your face immortalized courtesy of being part of a product one can find in the toy aisle of any department store? Granted, most young lads likely dream that said toy would be a G.I. Joe or some other action figure as opposed to a doll played with by girls, but beggars can’t be choosers. Personally, I always dreamed of being the face of the next Cabbage Patch Kid, but that dream never came to fruition. Unfortunately for me, I ended up being a lot more like Cabbage Head, but that’s another story.
All that aside, as you can see from the video, Taylor is an excellent candidate and I’m sure he’ll be darn proud of the fact that he will be memorialized in molded vinyl. Turns out he was a pretty decent football player to boot (via Sporting News):
So Barbie, your new man may not have won a Heisman Trophy or even a BCS title, but he wasn’t a bad college football player. With a playing weight of 255 pounds, the 6-foot-2 Taylor was named Iowa State’s comeback player of the year, ranking second in the Big 12 with 6.5 sacks after missing the entire 2006 season, according to the Cyclones’ website. He also made the Big 12 commissioner’s honor roll, as any friend of Barbie should.
So, I guess all that’s left to add is a hearty congratulations to Mr. Taylor. And if he doesn’t invite me to the party at Barbie’s Malibu Beach House, I’m gonna be so ticked.
Also from Sportress of Blogitude:
Photo: Tennessee fans' funny misspelled Bruce Pearl sign
Original Story:
From MSNBC:
"Contrary to published reports, the new Ken is not made in the image and likeness of former Iowa State running back Taylor. Instead, Taylor is a personification of Ken’s new ethos, sort of a broad-backed Yoda to Ken’s Luke Skywalker.
Taylor earned the coveted role after Mattel teamed up with Hud:Sun Media, a Los Angeles-based entertainment production company, to launch a multimedia, web-based campaign to find a new definition for Ken’s old role as the ultimate boyfriend. In January they launched a contest on Hulu called “Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend.” As The New York Times put it, the web series pitted “eight boy-next-door contestants who competed in contests including cooking, decorating, entertaining and surfing to win over Barbie.”"
Please see the full article: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42246422/ns/today-today_fashion_and_beauty/
Also an update to the "original" source story from the New York Times:
"Correction: March 25, 2011
The Advertising column on Tuesday, about a Mattel campaign emphasizing Ken, the companion doll to its popular Barbie, misstated the prize in “Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend,” a Web series that resembled a reality show. The winner, Kurtis Taylor, will receive a doll in his likeness and a modeling contract with the Barbie brand. He will not be the model for the new Ken doll line, which was released in January, before the contest series was shown."
Please read the NYT article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/business/media/22adco.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=ken%20doll&st=cse
From MSNBC:
"Contrary to published reports, the new Ken is not made in the image and likeness of former Iowa State running back Taylor. Instead, Taylor is a personification of Ken’s new ethos, sort of a broad-backed Yoda to Ken’s Luke Skywalker.
Taylor earned the coveted role after Mattel teamed up with Hud:Sun Media, a Los Angeles-based entertainment production company, to launch a multimedia, web-based campaign to find a new definition for Ken’s old role as the ultimate boyfriend. In January they launched a contest on Hulu called “Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend.” As The New York Times put it, the web series pitted “eight boy-next-door contestants who competed in contests including cooking, decorating, entertaining and surfing to win over Barbie.”"
Please see the full article: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42246422/ns/today-today_fashion_and_beauty/