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There is a wonderful article about Barbie Talks, out the March 2006 issue of the Barbie Bazaar magazine (http://www.barbiebazaar.com/), in major book stores.
Below is a copy of the article:
BARBIE TALKS! And Does She Have a Story to Tell...!
by Barry Sturgill
A few months ago, former Mattel Barbie designer Carol Spencer and I were having a phone conversation about a Bazaar article that she was helping me to research. Out of the blue, she asked me if I'd ever heard of a book titled "Barbie Talks!". I had to admit that I hadn't, which is kind of embarassing because I'm supposed to keep up with this stuff. Carol told me to go to the book's website and check it out, so I did.
Of course I'd already assumed that this was going to be just fun little story about Mattel's development of the first talking Barbie doll in the late Sixties. Boy, was I wrong. For starters, it isn't just a fluffy paperback... at over four hundred and fifty pages, it's a thick read.
Gwen Florea and Glenda Phinney were both young, attractive Twenty-Somethings who worked in Mattel Toys' Research and Design Department during the "Golden Age" of the company's heyday... the mid-Sixties to early Seventies. They were responsible for producing the miniature phonograph records that went into such famous pull-string talkers as Herman Munster, Dr. Dolittle, the Monkees hand puppet, scores of talking baby dolls and eventually Talking Barbie and her friends!
The two women have told a fascinating and complex tale, which includes not only heartwarming reminiscences of their often-wacky work experiences, but also touching accounts of the triumphs and tragedies of the personal lives of two young career women in Los Angeles during the Age of Aquarius.
Ms. Florea herself was actually chosen as the voice of Talking Barbie! After a long, complicated and highly-publicized process that involved auditioning scores of Hollywood actresses for the coveted role of Barbie, Mattel brass decided that Gwen's voice (initially recorded as a test record for an early sample of the doll) sounded the best when heard through the doll's tinny plastic speaker. Coworker Glenda also won the part of Talking Stacey, complete with a faux British accent!
For anyone who collects vintage dolls and toys, this book is a must-read. It's the first of its kind, written by two women who actually survived the circus that was Mattel R&D. Imagine a workplace where adults spent their days in a top-secret bubble, designing and testing (i.e., playing with!) toys that would eventually become nostalgic classics for a generation of Baby Boomers!
Although both Gwen and Glenda were constantly bumping their heads against the corporate "glass ceiling" imposed by various male execs, this book is primarily a warm and wonderful account of their days in a dynamic, creative and groundbreaking work evironment.
"Everyone was super-enthusiastic about their jobs," explains Gwen. "I woke up every morning and couldn't wait to get to work, because it was always exciting and fun. Glenda and I both felt very lucky to be there."
Once they decided to tell their story, Glenda and Gwen spent five months working on the book. "We both wanted to make it easy for the readers to understand... to tell the story of two young women who came of age in the shadow of Barbie, and to refute the notion that Barbie was a poor influence on young girls." explains Gwen.
Published by iUniverse.com in 2001, Barbie Talks is also a no-holds-barred exposé of the rampant sexism that most women faced in the corporate American workplace forty years ago, ironically (but firmly) entrenched at a company headed by a famous female CEO, the legendary Ruth Handler. Did the book ruffle any feathers at present-day Mattel?
"To begin with, yes," says Gwen. "Just the lawyers... but when I went to the 2004 [National Barbie] Convention, everyone from Mattel was very nice to me and loved the book. What was really amazed me was the response I got from the people attending the convention. It was overwhelming! Everyone wanted an autographed and a photograph [with me]. I sold out all of my copies the first day. I didn't bring nearly enough books, so I had to take orders... "
What do Barbie Dolls do when they grow up? They have amazing lives and achieve their goals! For more information on Barbie Talks!, visit www.talkingdollbook.com.