Dream Doll

Dream Doll
Author: Ruth Handler
Publisher:
Total Pages: 230
Release: 1994
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780681007635

The author recounts how she and her husband founded the Mattel Toy company, discusses her bout with breast cancer, and describes the breast prosthesis company she subsequently started

Barbie Developer: Ruth Handler

Barbie Developer: Ruth Handler
Author: Lee Slater
Publisher: ABDO
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2016-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1680771329

In this engaging biography, readers will learn about the developer of the Barbie doll, Ruth Handler. Follow the story of Handler's early work with her husband Elliott making and selling plastic products, their collaboration with Harold Matson to form Mattel, Handler's inspiration for a new kind of doll, and the company's introduction of Barbie in 1959. Readers will follow Barbie's evolution through the ensuing decades as Handler continuously reinvented Barbie to appeal to new generations. Learn how Barbies are made, who came up with the name, the role of the Mickey Mouse Club in Barbie's success, and about other Mattel products. Handler's family and her retirement as president from Mattel and her subsequent work for cancer survivors with her new company Nearly Me is also covered. Sidebars, historic photos, and a glossary enhance readers' understanding of this topic. Additional features include a table of contents, an index, a timeline and fun facts. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

The Story of Barbie and The Woman Who Created Her (Barbie)

The Story of Barbie and The Woman Who Created Her (Barbie)
Author: Cindy Eagan
Publisher: Mattel, Inc.
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2017-09-05
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1683430565

A beautifully illustrated picture book about Barbie--the most famous doll in the world--and her visionary creator, Ruth Handler. Ruth Handler wanted to create a doll that would inspire little girls to use their huge imaginations and big dreams about their futures. When told it wasn't possible, Ruth Handler proved them wrong by creating the most famous doll ever. This beautiful picture book will inspire children ages 3 to 7 to believe that anything is possible-especially with Barbie!

Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll

Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll
Author: M.G. Lord
Publisher: Liveright Publishing
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2024-03-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1324095768

Barbie is a strong, independent doll. But is she a feminist icon? It’s complicated. Since her introduction in 1959, Barbie’s impact has been revolutionary. Far from being a toy designed by men to oppress women, she was a toy invented by women to teach women what was expected of them, for better or for worse. Whether tarred-and-glittered as antifeminist puffery or celebrated as a feminist icon (or, at any rate, an important cultural touchstone in understanding feminism) Barbie has undeniably influenced generations of girls. In Forever Barbie, cultural critic, investigative journalist, and first-generation Barbie owner M. G. Lord uncovers the surprising story behind Barbie’s smash success. Revealing her low origins as “Bild Lilli,” a risqué doll for adults sold as a gag gift in postwar Germany, Forever Barbie traces Barbie’s development and transformation, through countless makeovers and career changes, into an international pop culture icon and now “traditional toy.” Though not every doll in the line has been a hit—with pregnant Midge and Growing up Skipper among the more intriguing disasters—Barbie’s endurance, Lord writes, speaks as much to Mattel’s successful marketing as it does to our society’s overall ambivalence toward femininity. With new accessories, including a preface on the latest developments in the Barbieverse, Forever Barbie “will make you think of America’s most celebrated plastic doll in ways you never have before” (Susan Faludi).

The Body Burden

The Body Burden
Author: Stacey Handler
Publisher:
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2000
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

Barbie. The ideal American woman. Can you imagine what it is like to live in Barbie's shadow- the shadow of the ideal?Stacey Handler, granddaughter of Ruth Handler, creator of the original Barbie doll, knows what life after Barbie is like, as she has lived for 30 years in that shadow. Stacey now reveals in this new book The Body Burden, her personal story of a lifetime battle with body image. She openly discloses her own feelings about the Barbie doll, her grandmother's innocent perfect creation. She shares her moments of low self-esteem, including the fears, insecurities, and distorted body image that have been bestowed on her. She also speaks out about hying with and battling juvenile diabetes, as well as her verbally abusive former marriage which further increased her body image problem.The book itself is composed of Stacey's poetry and personal thoughts. She shares her honest feelings and concerns, focusing on both her struggles and triumphs in hope of aiding other women who are in similar pain. Not only does she discuss her weakness with food, but she also explores more universal feelings that women have about their bodies. She discusses society's unrealistic expectations and about how women feel about being expected to walk that perfect thin line. Her writing goes way beyond her own personal struggles.The Body Burden has something for all shapes and sizes. The plus-size woman, the anorexic, bulimic, the overeater and even the women without a body image disorder can relate to Stacey's real-life issues and strikingly real universal thoughts.Stacey's personal story brings a lesson of life, learning and love to us all. She believes in finding your own strength andfollowing it to success. Through personal candid stories, secret thoughts, and past experiences, Stacey takes her readers through a journey of truth and discovery. The Body Burden is Stacey's story of growing up with a battle of body image, experiencing pain, discomfort, confusion, loneliness, and finally hope.

Toy Monster

Toy Monster
Author: Jerry Oppenheimer
Publisher: Wiley + ORM
Total Pages: 286
Release: 2009-02-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0470480246

An eye-popping, unauthorized exposé of the House of Barbie from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Kardashians and Crazy Rich. From Boise to Beijing, Mattel’s toys dominate the universe. Its no fun-and-games marketing muscle reaches some 140 countries, and its iconic products have been a part of our culture for generations. Now, in this intriguing and entertaining exposé, New York Times–bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer places the world’s largest toy company under a journalistic microscope, uncovering the dark side of toy land, and exploring Mattel’s oddball corporate culture and eccentric, often bizarre, cast of characters. Based on exclusive interviews and an exhaustive review of public and private records, Toy Monster exposes Mattel’s take-no-prisoners, shark-infested corporate style. Throughout this scrupulously reported, unauthorized portrait, you’ll discover how dangerous toys are actually nothing new to Mattel, and why its fearsomely litigious approach within the brutal toy business has helped their products dominate potential rivals such as Bratz. Engaging and accessible, Toy Monster shows you why today’s toy business isn’t always fun and games. “Oppenheimer . . . has now trained his sights on the world’s biggest toy company—its egos, scandals and flawed products. In his toyland, nothing is cute.” —The Wall Street Journal “Oppenheimer takes a tour of Mattel’s seamier side, highlighting its dubious corporate practices and kooky cast in this scathing portrait . . . Fast-paced and engaging, this exposé will absorb readers until the last page and will forever change the way they think about the company.” —Publishers Weekly “Thoroughly researched, beautifully written, Oppenheimer’s opus contains all the intrigue and drama of an epic novel.” —C. David Heymann, New York Times–bestselling author

Dressing Barbie

Dressing Barbie
Author: Carol Spencer
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2019-03-19
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0062802453

A legendary fashion designer for Barbie shares the story of her adventures working behind-the-scenes at Mattel, and spotlights the creations that transformed the world’s most famous doll into a style icon in this beautifully designed book—published in commemoration of Barbie’s sixtieth anniversary—illustrated with 100 full-color photographs, including many never-before-seen images of rare and one-of-a-kind pieces from the author’s private archive. Dressing Barbie is a dazzling celebration of the clothes that made America’s favorite doll, and the incredible woman behind them. For thirty-five years, Carol Spencer enjoyed an unparalleled reign as a Barbie fashion designer, creating some of Barbie’s most iconic looks from the early 1960s until the late 1990s. Barbie’s wide-ranging wardrobe—including princess gowns and daisy-print rompers, flirty sundresses and smart pantsuits— combined fashion trends and haute couture with a liberal dose of fantasy. In Dressing Barbie, the successful and prolific designer reminisces about her time at Mattel working with legendary figures such as Ruth Handler, Barbie’s creator, and Charlotte Johnson, the original Barbie designer, and talks about her best and most beloved clothing designs from each decade. But Carol’s most impressive creation is her own life. As Handler famously said, “Barbie always represented the fact that a girl has choices”—a credo Carol epitomized. In Dressing Barbie, she talks candidly about how she broke free of the constraints of the late 1950s to pursue a dazzling career and an independent life for herself. Over the course of her successful and prolific career, Carol won many accolades. She was the first designer to have her signature on the doll, the first to go on a signing tour, the first to design a limited-edition Barbie Doll for collectors, and the designer of the biggest selling Barbie of all time. Now, Carol is the first member of the inner circle to take fans behind the pink curtain, revealing the fashion world of Barbie, the quintessential California girl, as never before.

Barbie Penthouse

Barbie Penthouse
Author: Raimonda Tamosauskaite
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2014-11-01
Genre:
ISBN: 9780991194216

Hot Wheels Developer: Elliot Handler

Hot Wheels Developer: Elliot Handler
Author: Jessie Alkire
Publisher: ABDO
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2019-01-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1532159927

In this engaging biography, readers will learn about the inventor of Hot Wheels, Elliot Handler. Follow the story of Handler as he starts the Mattel toy company, begins making toys from plastic, develops the Barbie and Ken dolls with his wife Ruth, then invents Hot Wheels! Sidebars, historic photos, and a glossary enhance readers' understanding of this topic. Additional features include a table of contents, an index, a timeline and fun facts. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.

Barbie

Barbie
Author: Kristin Noelle Weissman
Publisher: Universal-Publishers
Total Pages: 125
Release: 1999
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1581128282

This thesis is a cultural analysis of: a) women's idealized perception of the Barbie doll, & b) the construction of the Barbie doll image through marketing. In addition, both areas will provide a concentrated emphasis on "respectability." The analysis will be focused on Barbie's creation in 1959, & on the current practices of representations in 1999. The thesis is divided into two phases. Phase one illustrates the interpretation of how women perceive Barbie, & how they see themselves in her likeness. It further explores the determined impression of the doll as "respectable." Phase two examines the way that Barbie is presented in the market & the techniques used to formulate the intended representations of the doll. The analysis of the thesis focuses solely on her introduction in 1959, & on her current distinction. The Barbie doll is an iconic image. The symbol of the "feminine ideal" which has caused women to perceive & recognize this figure in a personal light. Further, her existence in the marketplace creates a continual awareness in women to identify & evolve with this object as she captures the culture. It is critical to examine the conception & portrayal of an icon such as the Barbie doll. As a predominant feature in American culture & society, she is a fictitious character that many have contrived into a reality. She is a name that strikes instant familiarity, & she is a name that evokes controversy, emulation, & success. This thesis achieves a comprehensive look into her importance to women, & the ways in which her corporate creators make her accessible to fulfill this need. Therefore, this thesis accurately makes a connection between the marketing of the Barbie doll, & the building of an icon.