India, Aug. 13 -- Opening thoughts. Toys, realism and diversity? It took a while, but Barbie and Ken finally have a reality check to contend with. Nearly 70 years after the debuts of the impossibly perfect Barbie and Ken, a new study from the Adelaide University and UNSW Sydney which analysed the latest Barbie and Ken dolls for body proportions, notes that key metrics now seem closer to real life. This follows a previous study from 1996, which found that Barbie and Ken's body proportions were almost unattainable in real life. The reason for this periodic attention on the two popular doll characters is summarised by Associate Professor Sara Grafenauer, from UNSW Medicine & Health.

"Barbie and Ken are among the most recognisable cultural i...