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sion that here lies considerable untapped the founding of the Mattel Toy Company, potential for research. Particularly given Ruth Handler’s role in the company, the past and current concerns about the ho- development of the world’s most icono- mogenizing effects of mass production and graphic doll, and Handler’s fall from grace consumption, it seems that understanding amid a probing investigation by the Secu- how the meanings of products shift (or fail rities and Exchange Commission (SEC). to shift) as they cross borders and how they Gerber presents her work as a nicely are appropriated in different contexts could interwoven biography and business his- drive a new research agenda. More than tory of both Ruth Handler and Mattel. mere comparison, investigations of net- The author looks at Handler’s early life works could shed light on the production and childhood in Colorado, her move to of global childhoods or play rituals, while California in the 1940s, and her courtship, detailing the limits of those networks can marriage, and business partnership with better clarify what remained unique about her soul mate, Elliot Handler. The Han- various local contexts. dlers founded Mattel in the 1940s, first as A footnote on layout: both books are a Lucite picture-frame company before generally attractive, but readers may be venturing into the toy business with the dismayed by the number of typographical Uke-A-Doodle ukulele. Gerber explores errors the publishers allowed into the final Mattel’s move to toy manufacturing and texts, especially Ganaway’s—as in “mellow- the struggles both Handlers faced, particu- dramatic” (p. 247). However, this obvious larly Ruth, balancing a career and a family. but ultimately minor flaw does not detract The author analyzes Mattel’s early mar- from the valuable contributions they make keting and production strategies and the to the growing study of play. financial woes of this start-up company. Through all of this stood Ruth Handler, —Jeff Bowersox, University of Southern portrayed by the author as a strong-willed, Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS motivated, and savvy marketer and busi- nesswoman. She was not afraid of trying new ideas, nor did she dwell on the com- pany’s early failures. By the 1950s, Gerber Barbie and Ruth: The Story argues, Mattel began to make strides in of the World’s Most Famous the industry by reusing popular technol- Doll and the Woman Who ogy, such as a voice box mechanism, in a Created Her variety of toys and by gambling on a ma- Robin Gerber jor advertising promotion on The Mickey New York: Collins Business, 2009. Bibli- Mouse Club television series, a move that ography, index. ix, 278 pp. $24.99 cloth. shifted the entire industry towards mar- ISBN: 9780061341311 keting toys year round instead of the tradi- tional time in the weeks before Christmas. While the title may lend itself to the as- Handler viewed this move as one of the sumption that this is a book about Ruth best decisions the company ever made, Handler and the invention of the Barbie and it provided a national platform for doll, author Robin Gerber provides a the introduction of the Barbie doll. much more detailed historical account of Gerber sees the design, manufactur-
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ing, and marketing of Barbie as the toy investigation that eventually caused the that really forced Handler to think about Handlers to leave Mattel. Ruth’s struggles the overall operation at Mattel. Through with breast cancer also left her without the trial and error, Handler developed new re- fire and confidence she once exuded. porting mechanisms and ways of gathering By 1973 the SEC investigation was data. She also determined to expand Mattel. under way, and within five years, Ruth All of this occurred at a time when Handler Handler faced indictments on forty-five became extremely passionate about devel- “overt acts” of fraud. These included the oping a doll that looked like an adult, had bill-and-hold orders and the manipulation appealing couture, and could assist little of annualized financial statements, tooling girls with the transition into womanhood. costs, and royalty expenses. By 1978, how- While Barbie received much criticism for ever, Handler shifted away from the toy her curvaceous looks, Handler seemed to company she loved so dearly and focused pay little attention to naysayers. Barbie’s on the manufacturing and sale of Nearly success, albeit slow initially, empowered Me prosthetic breasts for breast cancer Handler to grow her company. She re- survivors. While publicly and privately turned to school, studied organizational she touted her innocence on all charges, in theories, restructured the company, and 1978 she acquiesced to a no-contest plea. looked to other business models to better She was sentenced to five years probation manage Mattel’s product lines. She as- and five hundred hours of community ser- cended to Mattel’s presidency in 1967. Her vice each year, at the time one of the lon- management style was fluid. She gave her ger public-service sentences ever given. executives flexibility, but she was shrewd In the final chapters, Gerber does an about reporting and forecasting. Under excellent job of describing how Handler her leadership, Mattel soared in the 1960s, found redemption with the courts by de- bought other toy companies, expanded veloping a work program for probation- its toy lines (including the popular Hot ers to help them regain a place in the work Wheels cars), and purchased the Ringling force. Her Ruthton Corporation and the Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Nearly Me invention brought her much All was not smooth sailing within the joy and respect from thousands of women company, however. The latter third of the who were once ashamed of the scars of their book explores the challenges both Mat- breast cancer surgeries. Gerber concludes tel and Handler faced at the beginning her book by looking at Mattel’s changing of the 1970s. The economic downturns guard and the decision to bring Handler in the first part of the decade led to the back to the company, especially as Barbie first significant losses for the company approached her thirty-fifth anniversary. in years. There was staff competition, Handler still faced challenges after serving squabbling, and infighting. The purchase her community sentence. Her son, Ken, of the circus led to some shady accounting contracted AIDS in the 1980s and died in practices such as the bill-and-hold method 1994. Handler had a second mastectomy that allowed retailers to order goods but during this time as well. Finally, in 2002, then cancel the orders at a later date, all Handler herself succumbed to complica- to make the company look more profit- tions from surgery for colon cancer. able. The latter practice led to a criminal Overall, Gerber provides a thorough
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and thoughtful history of this multifaceted games, and film and television anime and successful businesswoman. Gerber (animation)—including such related com- portrays Handler as someone who could mercial products as collectors’ cards and rise above corporate adversity. There are Hello Kitty items and their appearances in some areas in the book, though, where the Japan and the United States. Interspersed mix of business history and Handler’s his- throughout are some anecdotal essays re- tory is less well organized. And in some in- lating experiences with Japanese media, stances, the author seems too sympathetic and within the analytical pieces, several to Handler’s shady business dealings. Some authors confess to being fans themselves readers might argue that Gerber portrays as children and as adults. Handler in a light similar to Handler’s own A number of the pieces discuss the autobiography. Gerber does an excellent deep interplay between Japanese and U.S. job, however, of drawing from interviews texts. A brief article by Dale Pike on the conducted by Fern Field for a film that was film Gojira (1954) and its transformation never produced, and the author is thought- to Godzilla (1956) for theatrical release ful in her explanation of Handler’s decision in the United States opens the book. The not to include the details of Ken’s illness in essay provides some concise background her autobiography. and acts as a teaser for what is to come. Barbie and Ruth contributes to the In “The Allure of Anthropomorphism in history of business, of women, and of Manga and Anime,” Fred Patten notes the technology by looking at one woman’s intercultural popularity of talking animals rise up the corporate ladder long before and argues postwar Japanese popular cul- many had such opportunities. The world’s ture was particularly influenced by U.S. most iconic doll was not the only woman products. Patten describes several shows to leave an imprint in the toy industry and initiated by Japanese artists and compa- on corporate America. nies that aired on American television. In one case, artist Osamu Tezuka animated —Susan Asbury, Elizabethtown, PA Jungle Emperor for NBC, making numer- ous changes requested by the network. The series aired to U. S. audiences as Kimba the White Lion without notice of its Japanese The Japanification of Children’s manga origins. Jan Susina’s jam-packed Popular Culture: From Godzilla article takes a close look at many episodes to Miyazaki of Rugrats, noting that the Reptar and Cyn- Mark I. West, ed. thia characters are parodies of Godzilla Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2009. and Barbie, repackaged via Japan. In “Early Bibliographical references, indi- Japanese Animation in the United States: ces. xi, 294 pp. $45.00 paper. ISBN: Changing Tetsuwan Atomu to Astro Boy,” 9780810851214 Brian Ruh meticulously demonstrates that, from its very beginnings, Japanese anime This collection of nineteen essays provides often considered the export market. The a helpful overview of several media—live- localization of the second season of Tet- action films,manga (graphic novels), video suwan Atomu for the U.S. market served
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