“Let’s Call Her Barbie” by Renee Rosen was a great read! The novel is a fictional retelling about the creators of the ‘Barbie’ doll and contains terrific details about the process and about the personal lives of those creators.
The year was 1956 when Ruth Handler, the co-owner of Mattel toy company (alongside her husband, Elliott), came up with the idea of a fashion doll for little girls. Ruth was the driving force behind ‘Barbie,’ and she assembled a creative team to bring her idea to life. Jack Ryan was the designer/engineer behind the doll and Charlotte Johnson was the first dress designer. The team faced SO many challenges in their journey with ‘Barbie.’ Ruth had to deal with a business world run only by men in a time when women were not allowed the same voice. Jack had his own inner demons and addictions, which often took over his better judgement and eventually, his life. Charlotte had to adjust her fashion training to the size of an 11 ½” doll – which was much more challenging than you would imagine. There is also a fictional character, Stevie, who joins the fashion design team – her character grows, along with ‘Barbie.’
I absolutely loved reading about all of these characters – their flaws and their successes! I was a little girl who grew up playing with my own ‘Barbies’ and the research that went into this novel is fantastic! So many times, ‘Barbie’ almost doesn’t make it to market – what a different world it would be without the ‘Barbie’ doll!!! (Reviewers loved the audiobook of “Let’s Call Her Barbie” too!)
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