In what seems like a tribute to the doll world’s best boyfriend, Barbie’s longtime beau Ken is the backbone of a new digital reality series entitled Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend.

Produced for The Barbie brand by Hudsun Media and hosted by reality TV star Whitney Port, the series will feature eight, 22-minute episodes and will follow eight guys ages 21 to 30 who will compete for the title of The Great American Boyfriend. The series will premiere on US content hub Hulu beginning January 18, 2011 and will be featured on the homepage’s main carousel.

The original series will feature surfing competitions, talent shows, fashion challenges and more and will feature various celebrity guest judges.

In addition to Hulu, the series will be distributed through the Barbie brand’s social channels, including Facebook, YouTube and female-targeted digital sites. The series aims to leverage the popularity ignited by the appearance of Ken in Disney Pixar’s recent Toy Story 3.

Now through November 1, fans can visit www.genuineken.com to nominate and vote for the series’ contestants.