Kenchanting || Ken

The Kenesis

Barbies, Kens, and Allan all lived in Barbieland. Barbies worked hard at their jobs and then celebrated and partied at night. Kens worked hard trying to win over the Barbies' affection. Allan, well, did whatever it was that Allan did. 

This is how it had been for a while, and it seemed it would be this way for a while longer. At least that is until one day, a new doll showed up. Not a Barbie. Not a Ken. Nor was this doll an Allan.

No, this doll was completely new and had been designed to be Barbie's best friend. This new doll was named Penny. Short for Penelope. She was created to be a friend. That was the job given to her. She was meant to be funny and kind. Doing everything she could to make Barbie smile.

Penelope first showed up in Barbieland during a heated beach volleyball match that everyone had gathered to watch. 

"Hello!" She smiled at the crowd. She wondered if she should interrupt, as everyone seemed quite focused on the scene before them. She wanted to meet her new friends but didn't want them to find her rude for intruding. 

The only person to hear her was Allan. The Barbies were too focused on the match, and the Kens were too focused on the Barbies. 

Allan walked over to her, "Uh hi, who are you?" He questioned, his voice quiet and polite.  

"I'm Penny. I was just developed by Mattel. It's nice to meet you Ken," she responded, speaking sincerely. 

"Oh, I'm not a Ken. I'm Allan. I can fit into all of Ken's clothes."

"Oh, I'm sorry, my mistake. It's lovely to meet you, Allan. That seems very handy," Penelope was a bit confused by his statement. She wasn't built with or given the knowledge of any Allan. Before she came here, all she knew about was the Barbies and Kens. Mattel failed to mention Allan. 

"It's fine. It's nice to meet you as well, Penny." Allan replied. There the conversation ended and neither knew what to say. 

Penelope figured it was time to relieve the awkward silence that had cast its shadow over them by doing what she did best: using stupid humor to distract those around her.

"Once, I was playing poker, and after I raised, the guy sitting next to me paused. I turned to him and said 'Hey Ken, are you gonna call?' He looked at me, pushed all his poker chips into the center of the table, and said 'I'm Allan.'"

Allan was silent for a second before he sputtered out a laugh. They didn't hear much humor in Barbieland, so as stupid as the joke was, it was also one of the funniest things he'd heard in all his existence. He didn't expect Penny to be a joker. She brought something new to Barbieland. 

Seeing that she made Allan laugh, Penelope lit up and laughed along with him.

Hearing the sound of their laughs, the Barbies and Kens now began to notice Penelope. One by one they turned and stared at her. It wasn't long before the cheering for the game stopped and everyone's attention was on the two.

Once Penelope and Allan realized the beach was silent they stopped laughing. Penelope, keeping a smile on her face, reintroduced herself.

"Hi," she said, "I'm Penny. I was just developed by Mattel. It's wonderful to meet all of you. I'm designed to be Barbie's best friend."

Once the shock wore away, all the Barbies cheered and ran towards her, quickly abandoning the volleyball match they were so focused on. They were excited by the new arrival. They started to drag her away, declaring that they were taking her to Barbie's Dreamhouse to have a pool party.

Allan watched as they dragged her away. But he didn't feel too sad about it. He knew from the start that as soon she met the Barbies and the Barbies met her, he'd likely rarely get to talk to her, let alone one-on-one again.

As the Barbies pulled her further and further, she called out behind her and shouted, "Nice meeting you, Allan. We'll talk soon."

Allan smiled. Maybe he'd get to see her more than he thought he would. He was thankful for that. Sometimes the Kens were a little too much for him to handle. 

Meanwhile, Stereotypical Barbie's Ken felt a bit frustrated as he watched the Barbies be instantly enamored with Penny. He never got that kind of attention from his Barbie, and Penny had only been in Barbieland less than five minutes.

He hoped the arrival of this new girl didn't mean he'd see and talk to Barbie less. He needed that interaction with her. It was the only thing that made his day. Her gaze was the only thing that made him feel whole.