Allan Sherwood was introduced in 1964 as Ken's best friend, and Midge's boyfriend, and was discontinued until 1991. His first doll during his return, Wedding Day Alan (9607), was him on his wedding day. He was marrying Barbie's friend Midge. The doll was also part of the Wedding Party Midge Gift Set (9852). Festa de Casamento Alan ("Wedding Party Alan") was released in Brazil, but he was marrying a character named Viky. It was manufactured by Estrela Toys under license from Mattel. In 1992, Alan and Midge dolls were featured in booklets holding baby twins. They were wearing casual, matching outfits, with Midge holding their baby girl and Alan holding their baby boy. Under the dolls, a caption read, "Midge® and Alan™ have adorable twin babies that magically hold their bottle and toys. #5717, #5718". The dolls were not released.[1]
In 2002, the Barbie Happy Family line began in December. It included Alan, his pregnant wife Midge, and their son Ryan. Alan was sold with Ryan, and there were White versions and African-American versions of the dolls, and it included a stroller for Ryan. Barbie.com said that the pregnant Midge doll was "a wonderful prop for parents to use with their children to role-play family situations." Jo Ann Farver, a psychologist from the University of Southern California, was interviewed and she said, "The pregnancy-themed Happy Family dolls complement children's strong interests in family relationships, and supports their social and emotional development." Midge's pregnancy was so controversial that Walmart stopped selling the all of the Happy Family dolls, including Ryan, two weeks before Christmas. Melissa Berryhill, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, said, "Customers said they were not happy with the pregnant Midge doll so Wal-Mart removed the entire Happy Family set." [2]
In 2004, more Alan and Ryan dolls were released. There were White versions and African-American versions of the dolls. The theme was it was the 1st birthday of Alan and Midge's baby, Nikki. Also, a gift set named Happy Family Hometown Fair Gift Set was released. It included Alan, Midge, Ryan and Nikki. Happy Family Shopping Fun Midge, Nikki & Baby (C5970) shows that Ryan and Midge had another baby after Nikki.
