3c:T454,During the 1990s a doll that taught kids about American History became a major force within the crowded toy market. The 18 inch historically accurate dolls were expensive and only available by mail order, but they managed to capture the imagination of an entire generation and in the process made inventor Pleasant Rowland incredibly wealthy. On this episode of History of the 90s we look back at the cultural phenomenon of American Girl. Show Contact Info: Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@that90spodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠90s@curiouscast.ca⁠⁠ Guest info: Emilie Zaslow, professor at Pace University in New York and author of Playing With America's Doll: Cultural Analysis of the American Girl Collection www.emiliezaslow.com Dominique Jean-Louis, the chief historian of the Center for Brooklyn History at the Brooklyn Public Library. Previously as a curator of history exhibits at the New York Historical Museum she worked on an exhibit that focused on the history and significance of Black Dolls in American history. X: @DominiqueJL15 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices3d:T514,In this week’s episode, David visits the American Girl store in Los Angeles, attempting to learn what is so American about the American Girl doll. There he meets Alyson Campbell, the Senior Events and Marketing Coordinator at American Girl - who explains how the store works. He then gets Jamie Cygielman on the line, senior vice president and GM for American Girl. He discovers the doll is the invention of Pleasant T. Rowland - an American educator, writer, and philanthropist. She spent some time as a TV news reporter - anchoring KGO-TV in San Francisco from 68 to 71. By the mid 80s, Pleasant had saved over a million dollars from selling the textbooks she’d written for students - and started American Girl, hoping to teach kids about American history through the medium of 18 inch dolls. With all this in mind - David heads up to the restaurant to dine with his own American Girl doll, meeting both kids and adults who are fans. LINKS: Flightless Bird Live in Seattle Feb 8: https://www.stgpresents.org/events/flightless-bird/ Flightless Bird on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@flightlessbirdpodcast Flightless Bird merch: https://www.webworm.store/merch/flightless-bird Contact Rob and David: flightlessbirdchat@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices3e:T445,

Ruth Handler is a mom and small business owner when a sex doll gives her inspiration for a toy that will change everything: Barbie. She becomes the proto-Girl Boss who’s willing to lie, cheat and steal to make Mattel the biggest toy company in the world. And she’s having a good day every day, until shareholders and the SEC catch her making pretend with business documents.

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Barbie for President!