Barbie and Blaine

Barbie broke up with Ken a few months ago. Her new boyfriend, selected by poll on Barbie.com, is her friend Summer’s older brother, a blond Aussie surfer boy named Blaine.

I pity jilted Dashing Groom Ken.

Blaine seems dinkum enough. Barbie could do worse. At least she’s not dating G.I. Joe or Flight Suit George.

G.I. Joe’s too old for her. And Flight Suit George will make a commitment to spend time with you, then disappear for months and months without a call or a letter.

• Barbie is a brand of plastic fashion doll introduced in 1959, modeled on Lilli, a German doll of a cartoon streetwalker. Enormous sales of fashion accessories and other merchandise for Barbie dolls have made Barbie a multibillion dollar per year industry and a cultural icon for a certain type of ideal woman. Barbie has often been criticized for indoctrinating girls with restrictive gender roles and an unrealistic body image.
• G.I. Joe is a very successful plastic soldier doll based on a character from a 1940s comic strip. 1970s versions of this action figure were known for their kung‐fu grip gimmick, which allowed them to hold objects. A popular cartoon and several video games have been made based on the toy.