New Digital Series Searches for Real-Life Ken Doll

EL SEGUNDO: The Barbie brand, in partnership with Hudsun Media, is launching an eight-episode web reality series on Hulu, Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend, to be hosted by Whitney Port of The Hills fame.

The original digital competition reality series will put male contestants through a series of elimination challenges to determine if they, like Barbie’s beau Ken, are the ultimate boyfriend. In addition to Hulu, the series will be distributed through the Barbie brand’s social channels, including Facebook and YouTube.

"As pop culture icons, Barbie and Ken engage consumers across multiple touch points from events to television to social media," said Stephanie Cota, the senior VP of marketing for global girls brands. "We continue to raise the bar by driving toward new frontiers like the development of original digital content. Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend pushes boundaries and breaks frame in the digital space while remaining true to Ken’s DNA as the ultimate boyfriend for every occasion."

"What we are doing with Mattel and Genuine Ken is a complete game changer. We have created a wildly compelling, network-quality reality show that, for the first time, can be distributed directly to the viewer in a non-traditional but very effective way," added Michael Rourke, the CEO of Hudsun Media. "It’s inspiring to work with such an amazing brand like Barbie and Ken where the possibilities for compelling entertainment are endless."