ep. 198: Barbie Part 2: Legally Blonde
Barbie has probably spent as much time in the courthouse as her Dreamhouse, suing over doll designs, feminist book titles, a literal bag of chips—you name it. Intern Anuli and Cristen follow the wild paper trail of Barbie lawsuits, which leads them to guest Dr. Orly Lobel, author of You Don't Own Me: The Court Battles That Exposed Barbie's Dark Side, who recontexualizes Barbie as intellectual property that Mattel has spent hundreds of millions "protecting" and reveals the one job Barbie will never have.
Part 2 of 2.
guest:
sources:
Associated Press. ‘Bondage Barbie’ Gets a Boost. CBS News. Nov 8, 2002.
Associated Press. Supreme Court rejects ugly fight over Barbie doll. Jan 27, 2003.
Berthelsen, Christian. Mattel Sues Publisher Over Barbie Essays. The New York Times. Dec 6, 1999.
Brittain, Blake. Mattel ends trademark lawsuit over Nicki Minaj ‘Barbie-Que’ chips. Reuters. Sep 14, 2022.
Flynn, Sheila. ‘A little act of revolution’: How Mattel came to make the first Black Barbie. Independent. Mar 24, 2023.
Gerber, Robin. Barbie Forever: Her Inspiration, History and Legacy. Epic Ink. 2019.
Greene, Andy. 'People Probably Want to Kill Us': The Oral History of Aqua's 'Barbie Girl'. Rolling Stone. Apr 1, 2022.
Lobel, Orly. You Don’t Own Me: The Court Battles That Exposed Barbie’s Dark Side. WW Norton. 2017.
Ojala, Kristy. Seal of Disapproval. Seattle Weekly. Oct 9, 2006.
Werde, Bill. Barbie’s Manufacturer Is Ordered to Pay $1.8 Million in Legal Fees to Artist. The New York Times. June 28, 2004.
Wise, Damon. Buzz, Woody…and Barbie plays too. The Guardian. Dec 5, 1999.
Zardynezhad, Ava. Is Barbie a feminist icon? The Gauntlet. Aug 5, 2022.
