Ken, Barbie's smiling, compliant boyfriend through decades of political, societal and cultural changes, turns 50 this week.

Historians at the Lakewood Heritage Centre, a museum exploring the 20th century, say they will hold a party on Friday for Mattel's 12” boy toy, complete with cake and punch for the public. The museum notes how Ken has evolved with changing times.

"You can see how Ken changed over the years," said Jeff Fields, who runs the shop for Lakewood. "He was a skinny, tall dude at first. In the 1980s, he was scruffy and more buff. Now he's blond and blue-eyed again." Mattel had Barbie break it off with Ken in 2004, designing a new beau, Aussie boogie boarder Blaine. But not to be outdone, Ken underwent a Hollywood makeover, and, with cunning and guile as shown in the 2010 film "Toy Story 3," won her back.

"For nearly five decades, Ken has been Barbie's perfect arm candy," Mattel said in a news release.

Didn't she once have an affair with Action Man?

Ken and Barbie... still together...

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