Thanks To Barbie Movie, Old Allan Dolls See Big Spike In Sales

Thanks to the “Barbie” movie, old Allan dolls have shot up in price on eBay. Allan is a friend of Ken’s, but he was discontinued in the ’60s. Michael Cera plays him in the movie.

But thanks to a cameo in the Barbie movie, Ken’s BFF has found popularity for the first time since he was created.

Ken’s best friend, played indelibly by Michael Cera. Despite his determined blandness, Cera’s Allan is funny, warm, and charmingly awkward. He is not trying very hard if he is trying at all, which seems to have heightened his appeal among viewers. Suddenly, everyone wants some Allan for themselves.

On Thursday, the day before Barbie dropped, original-issue Allans — first introduced in 1964 — were selling on eBay for between $35 and $76. But by Tuesday, the starting price for many Allans had jumped to $150, even as much as $300, per TMZ.

He’s a rare type. In the movie, there is only Allan in a sea of Barbies and Kens. He’s an outlier; he doesn’t quite fit in with the impossibly buff Ken (though he does fit into all Ken’s clothes) or the all-powerful Barbies.

FUN FACT:

Mattel revived a version of the character (Alan, with just one “l”) decades later, as a husband for Barbie’s bestie, Midge, there has only ever been one Allan — in real life as in Barbie Land. Maybe it’s time Mattel gives him his due and puts him back on shelves.