Ken is a doll and fictional character introduced by Mattel in 1961 as
the counterpart of Barbie, who was introduced two years earlier.

Similar to his female counterpart, Ken has a fashionable line of
clothing and accessories. In the Barbie mythos, Ken met Barbie
on the set of a TV commercial. He is Barbie’s boyfriend, as it is
written on every box produced since 1961. Since his debut, Ken
has held at over 40 occupations. He was invented by Elliot
Handler (below).

Ruth and Elliot Handler, creators of Ben and Barbie.