Barbieland: The Unauthorized History
pro 2025. · Prodaje izdavač: Simon and Schuster
E-knjiga
352
str.
family_home
Ispunjava uvjete
info
O ovoj e-knjizi
“A rollicking tale of how Mattel spied, copied, and stole its way to market dominance, then fought with military intensity to compel us to buy more and more.” —The New York Times
The secret history of Barbie and what Mattel has done to keep her on top.
For nearly seven decades, Mattel billed Barbie as the first adult doll—a revolutionary alternative to the baby dolls before her, which had treated little girls as future mothers rather than future women. But Barbie was no original. She was a knockoff: a nearly identical copy of a German doll now erased from the narrative in favor of Mattel’s preferred version of history. It was Barbie’s first secret but far from her last.
In the “brilliant” (New York magazine) Barbieland, the long-hidden backstory of the world’s most famous doll is finally exposed. After snuffing out her predecessor, Barbie climbed to the throne of global girlhood and stayed there, fending off rivals with a mix of strategic marketing, government influence, ruthless litigation, and covert tactics worthy of a classic spy novel.
This “must-read” (John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead) ride through the underbelly of American business pulls back the curtain on the corporate titans, cultural influencers, and toyland rivals who shaped this icon’s world—from flawed founder Ruth Handler to convicted Wall Street fraudster (and improbable Barbie savior) Michael Milken to the Bratz doll empire, which once put the brand on life support.
Through investigative reporting, global archival research, and interviews with key players from across the Barbie extended universe, Barbieland lays bare the unseen—and so often absurd—work that made Mattel a multibillion-dollar business and turned Barbie into an institution: a symbol as synonymous with American soft power as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s french fries.
The secret history of Barbie and what Mattel has done to keep her on top.
For nearly seven decades, Mattel billed Barbie as the first adult doll—a revolutionary alternative to the baby dolls before her, which had treated little girls as future mothers rather than future women. But Barbie was no original. She was a knockoff: a nearly identical copy of a German doll now erased from the narrative in favor of Mattel’s preferred version of history. It was Barbie’s first secret but far from her last.
In the “brilliant” (New York magazine) Barbieland, the long-hidden backstory of the world’s most famous doll is finally exposed. After snuffing out her predecessor, Barbie climbed to the throne of global girlhood and stayed there, fending off rivals with a mix of strategic marketing, government influence, ruthless litigation, and covert tactics worthy of a classic spy novel.
This “must-read” (John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead) ride through the underbelly of American business pulls back the curtain on the corporate titans, cultural influencers, and toyland rivals who shaped this icon’s world—from flawed founder Ruth Handler to convicted Wall Street fraudster (and improbable Barbie savior) Michael Milken to the Bratz doll empire, which once put the brand on life support.
Through investigative reporting, global archival research, and interviews with key players from across the Barbie extended universe, Barbieland lays bare the unseen—and so often absurd—work that made Mattel a multibillion-dollar business and turned Barbie into an institution: a symbol as synonymous with American soft power as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s french fries.
“A rollicking tale of how Mattel spied, copied, and stole its way to market dominance, then fought with military intensity to compel us to buy more and more.” —The New York Times
The secret history of Barbie and what Mattel has done to keep her on top.
For nearly seven decades, Mattel billed Ba...
Saznajte više
O autoru
Tarpley Hitt is a journalist in New York, New York, where she is an editor at and contributor to The Drift magazine. She has previously reported on culture and money for The Daily Beast and Gawker, and her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Bookforum, The Paris Review, The Guardian, Air Mail, Deseret Magazine, and Miami New Times.
Tarpley Hitt is a journalist in New York, New York, where she is an editor at and contributor to The Drift magazine. She has previously reported on culture and money for The Daily Beast and Gawker, and her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Bookforum, The Paris Review, The Guardian, Ai...
Ocijenite ovu e-knjigu
Recite nam što mislite.
Informacije o čitanju
Pametni telefoni i tableti
Instalirajte aplikaciju Google Play knjige za Android i iPad/iPhone. Automatski se sinkronizira s vašim računom i omogućuje vam da čitate online ili offline gdje god bili.
Prijenosna i stolna računala
Audioknjige kupljene na Google Playu možete slušati pomoću web-preglednika na računalu.
Elektronički čitači i ostali uređaji
Za čitanje na uređajima s elektroničkom tintom, kao što su Kobo e-čitači, trebate preuzeti datoteku i prenijeti je na svoj uređaj. Slijedite detaljne upute u centru za pomoć za prijenos datoteka na podržane e-čitače.
