I must say the Ken we bought is not German though.....
I am not sure about educational value, except that having fun in itself is educational in any case. It certainly stimulates imagination and laughter, my daughter spends ages performing inticate role-plays with this toy, the barbies, various action figures, and herself, using all sorts of different voices. I am also not sure about durability, however so far it has turned out to be a fun toy worth buying, it was a little expensive but these kinds of toys always are, and it was £5 cheaper than from a major toy retailer.