Pregnant Ken Doll Claim Originated From Satirical Website
The Claim
Mattel Toys will produce a pregnant Ken doll.
News posted on
Emerging story
A Barbie and Ken doll image depicting Ken as pregnant is circulating on social media. Users shared the claim and expressed their surprise, adding, "Children across the United States will soon have Barbie and Ken dolls expecting a baby, except the Barbie isn't going to be the one carrying the baby, it's Ken."
Misbar’s Analysis
The Misbar team investigated the claim and found it to be satirical. The circulating claim was published on The Babylon Bee, a website that identifies itself as a "satire site."
The Babylon Bee
A Tineye reverse image search revealed that the image was shared by a satire site.
The image was published alongside an article on May 10 by the website Babylon Bee, which stated, "Mattel has announced the launch of a new Barbie-themed toy: a pregnant Ken doll." The decision has been hailed as a significant step forward for trans inclusion." A screenshot of the site is provided below.
The website identifies itself as "the world's best satire site," as shown below. Despite the disclaimer, many social media users believed the claim and began circulating it.
Mattel Made No Announcements
Mattel is a toy manufacturer that produces dolls. Misbar reviewed all official channels and found no pregnancy-related announcements. Their latest press statements are from May 11, but none mention a transgender doll.
Abortion Rights in the U.S
Given the recent abortion rights debates in the United States, it is possible that The Babylon Bee website wrote the article, as they mention in their article that "Mattel had announced a hurried rollout of the new Abortionist Ken, to satisfy pro-choice groups who complained on Twitter about birthing people being put on a pedestal." Satire is frequently used to shed light on serious issues, to expose or ridicule them.
Misbar team confirms Mattel is not producing a pregnant Ken doll and the photo circulating came from a satirical website.
