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Barbie and Ruth
Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her | Robin Gerber
7 posts | 2 read | 21 to read
This is the entwined tale of two exceptional women. One was a voluptuous eleven-inch-tall beauty who debuted at the 1959 Toy Fair in New York City and quickly became the treasure of 9 out of 10 American girls and their counterparts in 150 countries. She went on to compete as an Olympic athlete, serve as an air force pilot, work as a boutique owner, run as a presidential candidate, and ignite a cultural firestorm. The other was Ruth Handler, the tenth child of Polish Jewish immigrants. A brilliant, creative, ruthless, and passionately competitive visionary, she was a mother and wife who wanted it alla masterful entrepreneur who, together with her curvaceous plastic creation, changed American business and culture forever. Barbie and Ruth is the incredible, inspiring, tragic, and ultimately redeeming true story of how one extraordinary woman built the largest toy company in the world and created an enduring international icon.
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Amiable
Amiable
Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her | Robin Gerber
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Pickpick

A biography of Ruth Handler, the woman who (with her husband Elliott) created the toy company Mattel and designed the "Barbie" doll that became a cultural icon. Ruth is not portrayed as the nicest, most ethical person -- but she was definitely a force of nature in the business world at a time when women were expected to sit in the corner and take notes. Recommended.

80 likes1 stack add
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TheKidUpstairs
TheKidUpstairs
Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her | Robin Gerber
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This sounds super fascinating! Apparently it's being made into a movie, possibly starring Reese Witherspoon.

#BarbieGirl #SeptemberDanes
@Cinfhen @Kalalalatja

Cinfhen Love Reese 💕 7y
TheKidUpstairs @Cinfhen OMG, me too. I just found out she's got a book coming out:
[tagged book]Whiskey in a Teacup
7y
Kalalalatja Oh I‘ll definitely watch that movie! 7y
Cinfhen I know!!! Just saw the book today 😁 7y
Reviewsbylola I‘m fascinated by Barbie. 7y
75 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Librarybelle
Librarybelle
Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her | Robin Gerber
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Want to know the inside story of the original #barbiegirl ? This is on my to read list...the story of Barbie and her creator. #SeptemberDanes

tagged users iconCinfhen, Kalalalatja
Kalalalatja Great pick! 7y
Librarybelle Thanks, @Kalalalatja ! 7y
Reviewsbylola I love reading about Barbie. This sounds good. 7y
See All 7 Comments
Cinfhen I‘ve been wanting to read this too!!! Such an interesting story 7y
Amiable I've read this one --it's interesting. 7y
Librarybelle @Amiable 👍🙂 7y
Librarybelle @Reviewsbylola @Cinfhen ❤️❤️❤️ 7y
71 likes2 stack adds7 comments
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Jess7
Jess7
Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her | Robin Gerber
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This “is the remarkable true story of the world‘s most famous toy and the woman who created her. It is a fascinating account of how one visionary woman and her product changed an industry and sparked a lasting debate about women‘s roles.... #BarbieandRuth is a must read for anyone who ever owned a #Barbie doll—a book Publishers Weekly calls, ‘a stirring biography…a fine study of success and resilience‘.” #TBR | #Dolls - #ReadingResolutions

tagged users iconJess7
vkois88 OMG THAT MIDGE WAS MY FAVORITE DOLL UNTIL SOMEONE BROKE HER 😣😣😣 Sorry, had a moment. 7y
Eggs I still have my 1962 Barbie with the bubble cut hairdo 7y
Jess7 That 1989 midge doll was my favorite too @vkois88 !! I liked that her reddish brown hair was different than the other dolls. I found an image of her on google, apparently people are selling her on eBay. I like that the new barbies (image from google as well) come in different shapes and sizes and wider range of ethnicities! 💙💙💙 7y
See All 8 Comments
Jess7 That‘s awesome @Eggs !! If I still have any they would be boxed up in the basement of my parents‘ house, but I have a feeling my mom probably got rid of them. (edited) 7y
vkois88 I loved her not just bc of her hair, but midge had freckles and it was insanely hard to find any dolls with freckles... I wanted a doll that was different like me. 7y
Jess7 I forgot about her freckles, but I liked them too! I‘ve gone down a rabbit hole now looking at barbies from the 80s and early 90s. The outfits and big hair are awesome! 🤣 I remember having a Teresa doll (brown hair) and a Kimber (I think she was skipper‘s teen friend lol) @vkois88 (edited) 7y
vkois88 I never had a Kimber but I loved Skipper and Stacey. I was all about my barbies. Besides books, they were pretty much all I had. I have never been very social, even back then. We still have all my dolls, clothes, and my huge Little Tikes dollhouse. I'll be able to give them to Peanut when she's older. It's a super dangerous slope to look at old dolls! I find some occasionally that I either wanted or had and got broken. Must. Have. Willpower lol 7y
Eggs I share your love of Midge as well. She rocked with that hair and freckles and that straight-on look she had-unpretentious 😍 7y
103 likes11 stack adds8 comments
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WhatDeeReads
WhatDeeReads
Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her | Robin Gerber
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Remember last week when I said I‘d be happy to get a Barbie doll for Christmas?

Here she is.

#ParentsKnowMe #Grateful

TheNextBook Ooohhhh yes!!!! 7y
AmyG Merry Christmas 🎁 7y
CouronneDhiver ❤️ 7y
55 likes3 comments
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EvieBee
EvieBee
Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her | Robin Gerber
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Umm, I gave my last set of Barbies away when I was 15...but I still love toys. I might have to come back for this one!!! All the things I love are wrapped up in this package (except for books).

KerriNTurner Her dress is so cute, I want a life-sized version of that! 8y
Jas16 My niece wanted Barbie clothes for her birthday. I had way too much fun picking them out. 8y
LauraBrook That is really cute - makes me want it too! 8y
See All 6 Comments
EvieBee @KerriNTurner Me too!!! 8y
EvieBee @Jas16 I can imagine! I feel like a 2nd childhood is in order wherein I can afford to buy what I want lol! 8y
EvieBee @LauraBrook They were at Barnes and Noble. I'd never heard of this Black Label but it's so cute! 8y
59 likes6 comments
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Eggs
Eggs
Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her | Robin Gerber

For anyone who grew up with Barbie et al, this is a fun read. Still have my 1962 Barbie

tagged users icongeodynamical_nonfiction
6 likes1 stack add