Barbieland - by Tarpley Hitt (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"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 Barbieland, journalist and The Drift editor Tarpley Hitt exposes the long-hidden backstory of the world's most famous doll. 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 lively, authoritative 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.

Along the way, Hitt delves into the stories of the eccentrics and autocrats who brought Barbie to life through sheer force of will: a pair of ex-Nazi toymakers, a toy mogul friend of J. Edgar Hoover's, a swinging missile designer turned Barbie executive married to Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Mattel's mid-century Freudian marketeer, who saw the doll as a psychosexual skeleton key to controlling the American mind.

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.

Review Quotes

"A book about scheming doll people, which I loved."
--Amanda Hess, author of Second Life

"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

"Fun, unauthorized, and meticulously researched ... highly recommended."
--Library Journal

"Toy mania. Journalist Hitt makes a lively book debut with a dive into the creation, marketing, and meaning of the iconic Barbie doll."
--Kirkus

"A brisk, playful, ambitious journey into the messy world of toys. I would read anything by Tarpley Hitt."
--Kerry Howley, author of Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs

"A lively, highly informative investigation of the kings and queens of the toy world."
--Jill Abramson, author of Merchants of Truth

"A must-read take on Barbie's backstory that gives us all the good weirdness we need. Barbieland marks the arrival of a brilliant new voice on the American nonfiction scene."
--John Jeremiah Sullivan, Pushcart Prize-winning author of Pulphead

"Barbie's story embodies all the contradictions of women's lives--and the perils of our corporate and financial order. Barbieland is eye-opening, provocative, surprising, and always, always fun."
--Helaine Olen, bestselling author of Pound Foolish

"Gutsy in its reporting, sharp and ambitious in its analysis, and funny as hell."
--Molly Young, author of Privacy

"More than the story of a toy, Barbieland is the story of the twentieth century. As fun as it is informative--you'll never look at a doll the same way."
--Malcolm Harris, bestselling author of Palo Alto

About the Author

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.