The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us

The Good, The Bad, And The Barbie introduces characters such as Ruth Handler, Isadore Elliott Handler, Harold Matson, and Barbie. The main character of this book is Barbie because she is the doll that everyone is influenced by and has many different opinions about. Ruth Handler and Isadore Handler, also known as “Elliott” are also very important because they are the main reasons why Barbie became Barbie. If it wasn’t for them going out of their way and starting from a simple project “Plexiglass” assigned for schoolwork, Barbie wouldn’t be here. Harold Matson also helped the company Mattel become Mattel because Harold chose to work with his old co-workers and start a business that ended up being a company known by many. The main conflict throughout this book is Ruth trying to please everyone’s liking. Everyone has their own opinions but some opinions that get out can shut down Mattel. There have been protests and feminist statements towards Barbie about her body size, height, facial features, etc. Some people throughout the world didn’t feel that Barbie left a bad influence on them but some of them did. Solving this conflict wasn’t very easy especially because it is towards everyone’s feelings. During this problem they have made more mistakes by putting a weight scale that said 110 pounds for her size, and voice input saying “ I don't know how to do math.” which left a negative vibe towards body issues and blonde stereotypes. Two important plot events was when Isadore got assigned to do a art project with Plexiglass and started making doll furniture and Ruth decided to start making dolls after seeing a very well known doll in Europe called the Lilli Doll. The second one would be naming the dolls official names after their daughter and son, Barbara and Kenneth “Ken”. I loved The Good, The Bad, And The Barbie because it shows how many people in the world have different opinions. This story is a great way to look at a problem in different perspectives because when you are in a situation you really only listen to your side and the other person's story but in this book you get to listen to a lot more people's perspective. One part of the book I loved was when Ruth dated Isadore then broke up with him then got back together then broke up then became married because it shows how much she has been through other than the company. Another part I loved was the naming of the dolls. Naming the dolls after her daughter and son was pretty awesome because even though she was super busy and wasn't really a motherly figure at the time she still named the money-making dolls after her children. The last part I liked about the story was listening to all the negative vibes from people, especially teenagers. They showed that a lot of people are self-conscious about themselves and it is a very negative thing. I would recommend this book to feminist and people who love perspective stories because this story contains a lot of those two things. Feminism is the biggest part of this book so it would be amazing to read if you contribute towards that.

This used book is just what our professor asked for when putting together their syllabus for spring 2021 courses.

I wish I had read the review better as this book was a bit disappointing. I was looking forward to a book with a lot of color pictures. And I was disappointed in the length (again, that's on me for not reading the review better).

I have grown up LOVING Barbie! Ever since I can remember I loved playing with Barbie Dolls. Therefore, it made sense to purchase this book now! It is the perfect coffee table book, but not to thick. The information was very interesting, and made me love Barbie more!

I bought this as a gift, so I wasn't particularly interested in the book. But I can say that it was sent on time and that it was attractive enough to put on a pile of books to serve as coffee table books

A very different take on Barbie dolls. Gave it to my niece for her Birthday and she loved it!

I purchased The Good, The Bad and the Barbie book for my daughter. She loves Barbies. It is a great book that spans the history of Barbies. SHE LOVES IT!!! This is great for the doll collector such as my daughter. I highly recommend!!!! A+++++++++

Bought for my mom's birthday. Impressed with the overall quality of this book. I am not an expert on the subject, but I read through it and was impressed.

it was a present for my granddaughter. She was pleased with it.

My daughter is completely fascinated by this book! It is very interesting and his kept her attention through the start of summer vacation!

As described

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