The original series will put contestants through a series of elimination challenges to determine if they, like Ken®, have the qualities of the “ultimate boyfriend for every occasion.” From a surfing competition to talent show to fashion challenge to demonstrating their romantic side, the episodes will be shot in Los Angeles and New York and judged by a line-up of various celebrity guest judges.

In addition to Hulu, the series will be distributed through the Barbie® brand’s social channels, including Facebook, where the Barbie® page, currently with 760,000 “likes”, grows at a rate of 10,000 fans per day, as well as YouTube and female-targeted digital sites. The series leverages the popularity ignited by the appearance of Ken® in Disney Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” and invites consumers to experience the Barbie® brand in a whole new way through the development of original and engaging content. With the series’ launch, the Barbie® brand extends its digital presence and demonstrates its innovation in marketing the brand in break frame ways to consumers of all ages.

“As pop culture icons, Barbie and Ken engage consumers across multiple touch points from events to television to social media,” said Stephanie Cota, Senior Vice President Marketing, Global Girls Brands. “We continue to raise the bar by driving toward new frontiers like the development of original digital content. ‘Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend’ pushes boundaries and breaks frame in the digital space while remaining true to Ken’s DNA as the ultimate boyfriend for every occasion.

“What we are doing with Mattel and ‘Genuine Ken’ is a complete game changer. We have created a wildly compelling, network-quality reality show that, for the first time, can be distributed directly to the viewer in a non-traditional but very effective way,” said Michael Rourke CEO of Hudsun Media. “It’s inspiring to work with such an amazing brand like Barbie and Ken where the possibilities for compelling entertainment are endless.”

“Genuine Ken®” is being produced in partnership with Hudsun Media, an entertainment company dedicated to the art of storytelling. Executive producers Michael Rourke, CEO, Hudsun Media and Max Benator, VP Digital, Hudsun Media along with veteran Executive Producer Lauren Stevens, are bringing Ken® to life like never before as the star inspiration for the series.