Barbie is thrown in the garbage by her owner and is left for trash, but is saved by Woody. After being saved she is placed in the box to go to a day care. When the toys reach the day care, Barbie meets Ken. How is the relationship shown similar to a Cinderella story? How does Ken and Barbie differ from the typical Cinderella and Prince relationship?
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Archive of Twice Told Tales Class, Fall 2010 
This relationship between Barbie and Ken is based solely on beauty and looks. In a typical Cinderella story, beauty plays a factor, but the Prince usually falls in love with Cinderella for who she is (even when she s dressed in her servant clothes.) This love between Barbie and Ken is comparable to that of Cinderella and the Prince because they fall in love just by laying eyes on each other. However, the love between the Prince and Cinderella always goes beyond the initial love of Cinderella’s looks while I think that Barbie and Ken forever focus on the beauty and not what is on the inside.
Although this part of the movie shows love at first sight, Barbie and Ken at the end love each other beyond beauty reason. After Barbie realizes that Ken only cares for his look, she loses her interest in Ken. Not until Ken rescues her and chooses Barbie’s side against the teddy bear that Barbie truly falls in love with Ken. Therefore, I think this story is different from traditional Cinderella story in which Cinderella does not consider or judge the Prince’s personality.
The traditional “Barbie and Ken” image is usually based solely on looks. Although I still have not seen Toy Story 3, I would have to agree in that Barbie loves him at first for only his looks and dream house. I do not think that this is necessarily a “Cinderella” story simply because the characters are too generic. And although Barbie is rescued from the trash and given a better life, it is not an authentic “riches to rags to riches” story. I do however LOVE this clip!
I would like to start off by saying I think this is a really interesting clip to examine as a “Cinderella” story. In terms of similarities with traditional Cinderella stories, this clip definitely emphasizes the “love at first sight” component of the story, in addition to showing how the attraction is based only on physical qualities. However, Barbie has no “step-family” figures who impede her from meeting her “prince charming.” Additionally, she is not disguised when she meets him and the whole concept of a royal ball and the glass slipper is devoid from this story.
I think that the relationship between Barbie and Ken is very similar to the relationship between Cinderella and her prince. In both cases their relationship is based solely on looks. They both barely get to know each other and fall in love before they have even held a full conversation. I think that the Barbie and Ken relationship is factored more by material goods than in Cinderella. Never in Cinderella does the Prince brag about his fortunes to get Cinderella’s attention.
The relationship that Ken and Barbie tend to share is one based solely on looks. However, when I saw this movie, I thought it was interesting that the meeting of the two characters was so “romantic.” The love at first sight element was very played up and it seemed that they fell in love with each others’ looks. True, that is what initially drew them to each other, but they attempt to get to know each other in the brief time that they are together. Interestingly enough, Barbie breaks off the relationship when she learns that Ken is cruel and vindictive toward the other toys, who have been her friends for quite a long time. Nowhere else do we really see a Cinderella who, after learning the true nature of prince charming, breaks up with her true love. This film is given a bit more substance because it veres away from the stereotypical and superficial version of the tale.
I agree with Katie. Aside from the love at first sight aspect, I do not see how this really relates to Cinderella. I have not seen Toy Story 3, so I do not know if there are more parts to the movie that relate Barbie to Cinderella. But, just from this clip, the only real similarities are physical beauty and love at first sight.