The Story of Barbie Doll

by Kitturah B. Westenhouser

Including sections on fashions, footwear, hair, and prototypes, the history, creators, and innovators of Mattel's top-selling Barbie doll are presented, along with more than seven hundred color photographs, and information on the proper care and cleaning of the dolls. Original.

Genres: Nonfiction

311 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Cherese A. Vines · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out from the library because I was thinking of writing some fan fiction and I couldn't remember all of Barbie's sisters' names. I read most of the book, but when it started getting technical, I just started looking at the pretty pictures. I realized that I actually own two collector's dolls in the book and they're still in their boxes. Cha-ching! This is a pretty thorough book for collectors and the curious ( like me). I never knew the detail and love that went into producing the first Barbie doll and all the clothing from its beginnings until now. Well the book is a 2nd edition published almost 12 years ago so Barbie and Mattel have grown a lot. I will be looking into an updated edition. I'm sure the author has a lot to say about Barbie branching into movies and books and children's clothing. Very enlightening read. Creator Ruth Handler was an ambitious and insightful woman. She changed the toy industry and the world. She was sensitive to the desires of little girls and boys and developing their self esteem and imaginative play. She thought ahead to the needs of children to have a doll to play with that helped them try out their dreams and to have dolls that looked like them. From blondes to brunettes to red heads to Polynesian to Nigerian to Chinese to raising a family to to becoming an astronaut, Barbie helps children imagine it all. I'm grateful to Mrs. Handler's perseverance when others said there was no market and it couldn't be done economically. She was a true visionary. I've loved playing with my Barbie dolls. They were the first characters in my stories. Good book.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

My local library had a copy of this one, and honestly I realized it would not be up to date. Yet I was disappointed. The author writes in a disjoined, stilted way. It was painful to read. I gave up on muddling through it before long, and flipped through the pages to look at the pictures. Even the captions were muddy and difficult to sift through. The photos are not the greatest quality, but again, the book is not new. The images gave a good overview of the history of the look of the Barbie doll and her family and friends over the years.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's helpful, but dense and sometimes a little to in-depth? You don't need to describe every aspect of a doll whose picture is on the page. When I am reading this book, it is a bit outdated, but the information is still helpful for a collector collectioning superstar era or prior.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guide to the history of Barbie until 1994

Read this book if you're trying to learn about Barbie on a level that lets you identify not just Barbie dolls, but loose Barbie shoes. It has great photographs. Don't read this if you want an easy reading overview of Barbie as a whole.