When A G.I. Joe Just Won't Do

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By Newsweek Editors

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THERE'VE BEEN RUMORS about Ken for years, but Billy is being billed as the first openly gay doll. And he's very open: rippling muscles, furry crew cut, five macho outfits-from bell-bottomed sailor to San Francisco leatherman. John McKitterick, one of Billy's designers at London-based Totem International, says the company got "many, many rejections" from toy manufacturers before finding one who would make a gay doll. But he expects the market for $49.95 Billy to be strong, even among straight customers. "He's a crossover product with a lot of humor," McKitterick says. He also has a secret weapon. Billy is anatomically correct. Very anatomically correct. "He's a fantasy figure, and fantasies are larger than life-in lots of respects," McKitterick says. No wonder Billy will be sold only to adults 21 and over.

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