Let’s Call Her Barbie

Rosen (Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl) dramatizes the creation of the Barbie doll in this rollicking tale. The doll is pitched in Mattel’s Los Angeles office by Ruth Handler, who cofounded the toy company with her husband, Elliot, lead engineer Jack Ryan, and business partner Harold “Matt” Mattson (Mattel is a portmanteau of Matt and Elliot). Named after Elliot and Ruth’s daughter, Barbara, Barbie makes her debut at a 1959 toy fair, where retailers recoil at the radical prospect of a doll taking the form of an adult woman. When Barbie hits store shelves later that year, her curvy figure scandalizes many consumers, but she’s also an immediate success, helping girls to imagine more than motherhood for their futures. Rosen weaves her tale of corporate risk-taking with the characters’ personal dramas, as Jack, who is married, has a series of affairs, and Ruth and Elliot navigate the challenges of parenting. As the narrative stretches into the 1970s, Rosen fleshes out intriguing subplots involving the Barbie fashion team, including designer Charlotte Johnson. Barbie fans will delight in Rosen’s epic reimagining of the doll’s origin story. (Jan.)