Oh, You Doll!

It’s been hush-hush, but producers Gene Kirkwood and John Hyde are working with Warner Bros. and Mattel developing a live-action movie about that legendary duo Barbie and Ken.

To date, says Hyde, there have been no discussions over who will play the anatomically astounding Barbie--or her perpetual clean-cut boyfriend. “It’s far too early, yet,” says Hyde, who did reveal that the project will be contemporary “and not a parody.”

Over 500 million Barbies have been sold since the statuesque doll first appeared--in a zebra-stripe bathing suit and high heels--in 1959. An estimated $450 million is spent annually on Barbie, her assorted doll friends, clothes and other related products.