Alarums & Excursions 16, November 1976; cover by Ken Pick who wrote:
The cover illustrates an incident on the first expedition into Gregg Howard's wilderness. The party was ambushed while entering an abandoned city and forced into a ruined palace. During this, two of the party happened to drop through a trapdoor: Tyeller Wargsbane (left--4thl level Dwarf Fighter operated by Rollin Baker) and of course Chee Lan. The cover shows them coming to a T in the passage as they searched for a way out. Undecided on which way to go, Chee is spinning Tyeller's sword to decide.
"Of course Chee Lan" -- Ken Pick wrote a feature called "Ken's Character Corner" in A&E for several years, so presumably had introduced this character there. Player characters with anthropomorphic animal/furry traits appeared often in A&E.
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I couldn’t stop thinking about this and Barbie Steve so:
Steve is a special edition Ken, with his polo shirt and sunglasses he’s supposed to be Cool Party Ken, always ready to party and nothing more.
Steve hates it. Not the polo, he actually loves his outfit, but the idea he will be nothing more than the Cool Party Ken. A Ken.
He watches Nancy, who is supposed to be “his Barbie”, being Journalist Barbie and Good student Barbie and he wishes he could do that too. Journalist Barbie comes with a flowery long skirt he can’t stop thinking about.
But he can’t wear it because he’s a Ken.
And he knows he should be okay with what he is because he’s very lucky to be a special edition Ken and all the other Ken are jealous of him, so he tries to endure it for a while.
Until he can’t anymore.
He starts off with something he always dreamed of: he takes a pair of scissors and hairspray and becomes an hairstylist. Everyone is shocked to see and Hairstylist Ken but they welcome the change anyways, not knowing that Steve actually refers to himself as Hairstylist Barbie.
Robin, a Student/Worker Barbie, is the first person he tells.
She comes to him asking for a short haircut which is considered a crazy thing to want, since almost all Barbies have long hair.
“I don’t care! I hate my long hair, if people get upset that’s their problem. I will be a Rebel Barbie if I have to.”
“But why me?” Steve can’t help but ask. Usually people get haircuts from Hairstylist Barbies, not him.
“Because no Hairstylist Barbie wants to cut my hair” she admits, looking down “they think it’s weird. But I thought you would… understand.”
And Steve does understand, so he cuts her hair with no more objections. At the end, Robin is admiring her new shorter hair in the mirror when Steve says “well, one Hairstylist Barbie did say yes to you, in the end.”
And Robin understands.
—
The first person to call him Barbie, however, is Eddie.
Eddie is a standard Ken and he’s okay with it, most of the time. He firmly believes that any special edition Ken is just a snuck out snob, so he lives his life trying to prove that average Ken like him are just as fine.
“If we were just like the Special Kens like Steve” Jonathan objects “we would have found a Barbie to be with, don’t you think?”
Eddie would love to go on a rant about how Steve the Cool Party Ken is nothing special, but his eyes are caught by two Sailor Barbies walking across the street.
Eddie has never seen a Sailor Barbie but they have the same outfit, similar short hair and matching hats, so he imagines it must be a new type.
Despite looking so similar, one of them catches his eye.
He gives Jonathan a knowing look of “watch as I get a Barbie for myself”, which Jonathan replies with a look of “can’t wait to see you make a fool of yourself”, and then he’s off crossing the street.
He watches as one of them enters a ice cream parlor, and the other, the one who has caught his interest, stays back, staring at the door as if they needed to take some courage.
Eddie takes it as a sign to shoot his shot “Hey Barbiegirl!”
Nameless Sailor Barbie goes rigid but doesn’t turn around, so Eddie catches up to them.
“You know that old saying, every Barbie needs a Ken so…”
Sailor Barbie finally turns around, and Eddie is shocked to be faced with Steve the Pool Party Ken. Or maybe not a Ken. He’s confused.
Steve is looking at him expectingly, red in the cheeks.
He wets his lips before talking, making them glossier “so…?”
He doesn’t correct Eddie, he doesn’t say “I’m not a Barbie, you idiot”, he doesn’t reject him. He wants him to finish with his cheesy and overused pick up line.
Eddie wonders if he has been a special edition Lucky Ken without realizing it before.
“So, would you be my Barbie?”
Steve giggles, kisses him in the cheek and says “take me to dinner first, then we’ll see” and then, without another word, he’s gone inside the parlor.
Eddie stands there, staring at the door, too shocked to turn around and give Jonathan a “I told you so”.
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