Toy monster
Subtitle: the big, bad world of Mattel
By: Jerry Oppenheimer
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Hoboken, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 280
ISBN-13: 9780470371268
Subjects: Toy industry; Inc Mattel
Description: "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 - Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Chatty Cathy, to name a few - have been a part of our culture for generations. Now, in this intriguing and entertaining expose, 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 over potential rivals such as Bratz."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 267) and index.
Table of contents: title: The Barbie war and the Handler-Ryan era; title: Barbie's untold heritage; title: A shocking cover-up; title: From weapons of mass destruction to Barbie, and the knocking off of a German doll; title: Putting the "Matt" in Mattel, and how the toymaker became a hotbed of aggressive hotheads; title: Real-life Barbie dolls; title: Horrific scandal, controversy, and the indictments; title: A Civil War and a Hollywood romance; title: A bloody tragic ending; title: A drama princess and the Barad era; title: "Miss Italian America"; title: From "He-Man" to Home Depot; title: A fearsome and firing diva and the great whistleblower debacle; title: The Princess Diana Fiasco, praying for success, and Demi plays Barad; title: Another whistleblower in the ranks, Toyland's worst acquisition, and the end of a reign; title: Toy terror, the Bratz attack, and the Eckert era; title: The processed cheese savior; title: Barbie's aging, Eckert's making excuses, and the Bratz pack is booming; title: Toy terror 2007; title: An outrageous apology; title: "Like something out of The Exorcist"; title: Keep it out of the news!; title: Don't diss Barbie, and the toy trail of the century: Bratz vs. Barbie.