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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes

LA Made: The Barbie Tapes

LAist Studios

“LA Made” is a series exploring stories of bold Californian innovators and how they forever changed the lives of millions all over the world. Each season will unpack the untold and surprising stories behind some of the most exciting innovations that continue to influence our lives today.

Season 2, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes,” tells the backstory of the world’s most popular doll, Barbie. Barbie is a cultural icon but what do you really know about her? Hear Barbie's origin story from the people who created her. Co-hosted by Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll, hear the wild stories from never-before-heard tapes of interviews with Barbie inventor Ruth Handler, her wardrobe designer and the sculptors and fabricators, and the innovative marketers who made her what she is today. This 3-part series premieres July 6, 2023.

Season 1, “LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets,” tells the hidden story of the fearless, groundbreaking and ambitious crew who shaped our quest to outer space and ushered in the early days of space exploration at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at CalTech. Known as the “Suicide Squad,” the team’s road to triumph was fraught with controversies involving the occult, a suspected spy ring, unplanned explosions, and a suspicious death. Join writer and life-long aerospace fanatic M.G. Lord as she uncovers their story and reveals the shocking origins of rocket science in this 12 episode season.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This podcast was made possible with support from the Committee for Greater LA in partnership with the Weingart Foundation.

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Top 10 LA Made: The Barbie Tapes Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best LA Made: The Barbie Tapes episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to LA Made: The Barbie Tapes for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite LA Made: The Barbie Tapes episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - The Barbie Tapes: A Toy is Born

The Barbie Tapes: A Toy is Born

LA Made: The Barbie Tapes

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07/06/23 • 30 min

When Barbie arrives on the toy scene in 1959, her celebrity is instantaneous, and not just because of her controversial appearance. Worldwide, Barbie is still the best-selling doll of all time. But Barbie has always been more than just a doll - she's a cultural touchstone. From prototype to prestige, this episode kicks off the origin story of Barbie as told by her creators in their own words.

This podcast is supported by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

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2 Listeners

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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - The Barbie Tapes: Battle of the Bulge

The Barbie Tapes: Battle of the Bulge

LA Made: The Barbie Tapes

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07/13/23 • 32 min

For Barbie, the cultural upheaval of the 60s and 70s incites one identity crisis after another as Mattel tries to keep up with the times. On top of that, she has a new boyfriend to deal with. Ken's creation is a big hit for Barbie fans, but he’s facing a few growing pains of his own. In this episode, we investigate Ken's origin story, delve into the inner workings of Mattel, and hear how Barbie's inventor, Ruth Handler, was ousted from her own company.

This podcast is supported by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

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2 Listeners

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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - The Barbie Tapes: When Girls--and Barbie--Could Do Anything
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07/20/23 • 32 min

In this episode, Ruth and Elliot Handler are gone, and the new Mattel team, led by a man who feared the volatility of the toy business, diversified the company and made a big gamble on electronics. It didn’t work. Fortunately, Barbie ends up in the sure hands of some trailblazing women executives, who could see that the culture was moving in a direction very compatible with Barbie’s persona. From the workforce to the workout, Barbie was a doll of her times.

This podcast is supported by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

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2 Listeners

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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Other Side of Frank Malina
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11/29/22 • 30 min

Frank Malina is wracked with inner conflict over working for the military. His calls for scientific advancement for the purpose of bettering humanity fall on deaf ears, which leads him to embrace a political philosophy that the US government is increasingly hostile towards.

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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Inside JPL (Bonus Episode)
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03/07/23 • 23 min

We go inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and get a tour that’s not available to the public: watching technicians build spacecraft with Kobie Boykins, hanging out with Nagin Cox at the Mars Yard, and demystifying a campus famous for its secrecy.

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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Explosive Demise of Jack Parsons
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02/21/23 • 27 min

When Jack Parsons dies in an explosion, conspiracy theories foment. Was it murder by a disgruntled ex-cop? Assassination by the US government? In this episode we wrestle to make sense of both the circumstances surrounding Parsons' death and the legacy he left behind.

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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Operation Paperclip
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02/14/23 • 30 min

After WWII, the U.S. hired and promoted Nazi aerospace engineers in a program called Operation Paperclip — yet it drove away its own rocketeers, Malina and Tsien, for alleged communist activity. In this episode, we unpack that paradox.

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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Cred

Blood, Sweat & Rockets: Cred

LA Made: The Barbie Tapes

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11/22/22 • 26 min

The semi-successful Halloween test earns the squad some legitimacy and some money. Without consistent funding, though, the Suicide Squad breaks up before they've really gotten started. Until the U.S. government is caught off guard by the Nazis’ technological advancements and decides it needs to accelerate its own rocketry production — fast.

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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - Introducing LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets, from LAist Studios
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11/07/22 • 4 min

From NASA sending astronauts to the moon to billionaires launching themselves into space, there’s something about the cosmos that inspires people to attempt the impossible. But none of those things might have happened if it weren’t for a group of unsung engineers in Pasadena back in the 1930s. They risked it all for the sake of blowing stuff up and changing the world. They were known as the “Suicide Squad.” This is their story.

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LA Made: The Barbie Tapes - Blood, Sweat & Rockets: The Suicide Squad
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11/15/22 • 25 min

Meet the Suicide Squad: Jack Parsons, Frank Malina, and their crew. They're a band of young engineers, chemists, and mathematicians who saw the limitless potential of aerospace before the field was even a field. In an effort to earn credibility, the squad plans a dramatic experiment — a critical proof of concept — to showcase a technology they believe could be the future of humanity. Will it succeed — or fail spectacularly?

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FAQ

How many episodes does LA Made: The Barbie Tapes have?

LA Made: The Barbie Tapes currently has 114 episodes available.

What topics does LA Made: The Barbie Tapes cover?

The podcast is about Society & Culture and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on LA Made: The Barbie Tapes?

The episode title 'The Barbie Tapes: A Toy is Born' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on LA Made: The Barbie Tapes?

The average episode length on LA Made: The Barbie Tapes is 32 minutes.

How often are episodes of LA Made: The Barbie Tapes released?

Episodes of LA Made: The Barbie Tapes are typically released every 6 days, 23 hours.

When was the first episode of LA Made: The Barbie Tapes?

The first episode of LA Made: The Barbie Tapes was released on Nov 7, 2022.

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