Review: The Good, The Bad, and the Barbie

Tanya Lee Stone delves into the doll's history including the creation of Mattel and why Ruth Handler felt the need for a doll for older girls. After they finally made the doll, they needed to figure out how to market her. Barbie's clothes became a hot topic as they were luxurious items and mostly purchased in addition to the doll.

Stone collected stories of Barbie: how girls played with them, what their mothers thought of the doll, and how the girls felt about the doll. With such a controversial figure, Barbie made a splash into many childhoods.

My Thoughts: I devoured this book. I loved reading about how Mattel was born and Ruth's ideas. I loved reading about the fashion of Barbie. I loved reading the reactions of people to the doll; she was either loved or hated. I loved how the author handled the controversy of the doll. I loved the layout of the book - tons of photos of the different dolls and shoes on the bottom on the pages next to the page numbers. It was such an interesting read.

*I do have to say that I might not have read this book if it wasn't do the author. I LOVED her previous book Almost Astronauts.*

Cover Thoughts: I love the cover! It's absolutely perfect.

Source: Inter-Library Loaned

My Barbie Story: As I was reading this book, I remembered the stages of interaction with Barbie. At first it was to play house/school/dating. My sister and I shared some items. I think she had a horse and a blow up pool. We had a locker that turned into an apartment - dorm room style. Later we turned Barbie into a fashion piece and once we found the right outfit, we stopped playing. I don't remember mutilating Barbie, but I do remember cutting one doll's hair. Both my grandmothers would make clothes for our dolls. There are a few favorite outfits that I still remember.

Do you have a Barbie story?