Ken may be Barbie’s boyfriend, but in more than 60 years, she has not married or had children. In Ruth’s memoir “Dream Doll: The Ruth Handler Story,” she wrote, “Barbie has always ...

The Barbie doll is one of the most recognizable toys in the world, and it’s all thanks to a woman named Ruth Handler ... s boyfriend, Ken (who was named after Handler’s son).

Creator Ruth Handler named the dolls after her children, Barbara and Ken. Ken was released two years after Barbie came out in 1959 when consumers requested a boyfriend ... after her son-in-law.