Little Ken, Lost and Found
annna's parents talk about genitals, part II
Pity poor Ken. Barbie's beau has always been the butt of ridicule. He's not even a doll in his own right, my daughter tells me; he's a "Barbie accessory."
Unkindest cut of all, Ken has no genitalia. Of course, that problem is ameliorated by the fact that Barbie doesn't either, and the fact that both Ken and Barbie are plastic dolls, whose sexual options would be limited in any case.
There are two reasons I bring this up. One is that in one of my lives I've recently been spending a lot of time writing toy repair manuals, and a few weeks ago I opened up my first Talking Ken, made in 1969 by Mattel.
The second reason is what I found inside. It turns out that it just isn't true that Ken has no penis:
There it is!
Poor Ken is suffering from what urologists call "buried penis":
"A penile shaft that is buried below the surface of the prepubic skin because of an abnormally prominent suprapubic fat pad and dense fascial bands retracting and tethering the penis.
"Infants with buried penis are often told that they will outgrow the abnormality as they age or during adolescence. Many of these boys will improve with growth, but some will never achieve the visual or functional length possible. The patient with severe buried penis may be ridiculed by other boys, causing feelings of inadequacy. These boys may have no visible penis while standing and may have to sit to urinate."
So stand up for Ken! If any thingsihate readers happen to know any celebrities who are casting about for a disease to champion, here's one that's ready made.
Ken is suffering.
Ken is equipped; he just needs your help.
Unkindest cut of all, Ken has no genitalia. Of course, that problem is ameliorated by the fact that Barbie doesn't either, and the fact that both Ken and Barbie are plastic dolls, whose sexual options would be limited in any case.
There are two reasons I bring this up. One is that in one of my lives I've recently been spending a lot of time writing toy repair manuals, and a few weeks ago I opened up my first Talking Ken, made in 1969 by Mattel.
The second reason is what I found inside. It turns out that it just isn't true that Ken has no penis:
There it is!
Poor Ken is suffering from what urologists call "buried penis":
"A penile shaft that is buried below the surface of the prepubic skin because of an abnormally prominent suprapubic fat pad and dense fascial bands retracting and tethering the penis.
"Infants with buried penis are often told that they will outgrow the abnormality as they age or during adolescence. Many of these boys will improve with growth, but some will never achieve the visual or functional length possible. The patient with severe buried penis may be ridiculed by other boys, causing feelings of inadequacy. These boys may have no visible penis while standing and may have to sit to urinate."
So stand up for Ken! If any thingsihate readers happen to know any celebrities who are casting about for a disease to champion, here's one that's ready made.
Ken is suffering.
Ken is equipped; he just needs your help.