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Overview
From Boise to Beijing, Mattel's toys dominate the universe. Its no-fun-and-games marketing muscle reaches some 140 countries, and its iconic products have been a part of our culture for generations. Now, in this intriguing and entertaining expos?, New York Times bestselling author Jerry Oppenheimer places the world's largest toy company under a journalistic microscope, uncovering the dark side of toy land, and exploring Mattel's oddball corporate culture and eccentric, often bizarre, cast of characters.
Based on exclusive interviews and an exhaustive review of public and private records, Toy Monster exposes Mattel's take-no-prisoners, shark-infested corporate style. Throughout this scrupulously reported, unauthorized portrait, you'll discover how dangerous toys are actually nothing new to Mattel, and why its fearsomely litigious approach within the brutal toy business has helped their products dominate potential rivals such as Bratz.
- Introduces you to the larger-than-life personalities that have shaped Mattel's eccentric world
- Offers an inside look- from an experienced author-at the scandals that have been a part of this iconic company
- Jerry Oppenheimer is also the author of Madoff with the Money, an in-depth look at Bernie Madoff the man and his billion dollar scam
Engaging and accessible, Toy Monster shows you why today's toy business isn't always fun and games.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780470371268 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Wiley |
| Publication date: | 02/24/2009 |
| Pages: | 304 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Part One: The Barbie War and the Handler-Ryan Era 1Chapter 1: Barbie’s Untold Heritage 3
Chapter 2: A Shocking Cover-Up 13
Chapter 3: From Weapons of Mass Destruction to Barbie, and the Knocking Off of a German Doll 19
Chapter 4: Putting the “Matt” in Mattel, and How the Toymaker Became a Hotbed of Aggressive Hotheads 37
Chapter 5: Real-Life Barbie Dolls 51
Chapter 6: Horrific Scandal, Controversy, and Indictments 65
Chapter 7: A Civil War and a Hollywood Romance 81
Chapter 8: A Bloody Tragic Ending 89
Part Two: A Drama Princess and the Barad Era 103
Chapter 9: “Miss Italian America” 105
Chapter 10: From “He-Man” to Home Depot 121
Chapter 11: A Fearsome and Firing Diva and the Great Whistleblower Debacle 135
Chapter 12: The Princess Diana Fiasco, Praying for Success, and Demi Plays Barad 147
Chapter 13: Another Whistleblower in the Ranks, Toyland’s Worst Acquisition, and the End of a Reign 161
Part Three: Toy Terror, the Bratz Attack, and the Eckert Era 181
Chapter 14: The Processed Cheese Savior 183
Chapter 15: Barbie’s Aging, Eckert’s Making Excuses, and the Bratz Pack is Booming 193
Chapter 16: Toy Terror 2007 201
Chapter 17: An Outrageous Apology 213
Chapter 18: “Like Something Out of The Exorcist” 227
Chapter 19: Keep It Out of the News! 235
Chapter 20: Don’t Diss Barbie, and the Toy Trial of the Century: Bratz vs. Barbie 247
Author’s Note on Sources 265
Selected Bibliography 267
Acknowledgments 269
Index 273
What People are Saying About This
Praise for Toy Monster:
Jerry Oppenheimer, one of America's great biographers, has expanded his vision in this book by probing and exposing the dark side of the multi-billion-dollar, international toy industry. Thoroughly researched, beautifully written, Oppenheimer's opus contains all the intrigue and drama of an epic novel. Barbie will never be the same! I can hardly wait for the film version. –C. David Heymann, author of A Woman Named Jackie
"'Behind every great fortune is a great crime.' So wrote Balzac, which gave The Godfather its opening epigram. But a great crime behind the sweet House of Barbie? Yikes! Terrors in toy land! The scandal. The skullduggery!!! This book is enough to scare Santa Claus." –Kitty Kelley, author of The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty