A Conversation with Renée Rosen
A Conversation with Renée Rosen
A lot of readers might assume that you decided to write this book in reaction to the Barbiemania that took hold alongside the Barbie movie, but in truth, you’ve been wanting to tell the Barbie story for quite some time. Can you explain where you got the inspiration?
The idea to write a novel about the creation of Barbie had been percolating in my mind since 2019. Right before Park Avenue Summer was published, I was introduced to someone in Mattel’s doll division who told me the story of Ruth Handler, and I immediately got goose bumps.
With a little more research on my own, I learned that Ruth was only part of the Barbie story, and I knew without a doubt that this had the makings of a novel. At the time, however, I had two other books, The Social Graces and Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl , which would have to come first, but Barbie was always there in the back of my mind, and I was champing at the bit to get to it.
So did the movie’s success influence your book at all? And what did the timing of the movie do to your own publishing plans?
The movie had zero influence on the writing other than having me change a line where my Ruth uttered the same words as Rhea Perlman: “I am Mattel.” But otherwise, my novel was already pretty far along by the time the movie came out, and I knew where my story was heading. I wanted to take readers back to Barbie’s inception and the early days of Mattel, which I found fascinating. Fact is certainly stranger than fiction. What the movie did do, however, was influence some of our marketing decisions. We knew, for example, that we needed a pink cover; we knew we needed to have Barbie in the title; and we knew we wanted to feature Barbie herself.
During the height of Barbie being in the zeitgeist, I admit that I was in a state of full-on FOMO, and while we discussed rushing the book to press, we also recognized that it was more important to get the novel right rather than try to chase the moment. I kept reminding myself that Barbie has been around for sixty-five years. She ain’t going anywhere. And I hope that readers will enjoy this take on the creation of the world’s most iconic doll.
Did you play with Barbies when you were growing up?
Oh my, yes! Growing up, I was a serious Barbie player. I never went to a friend’s house without my Barbie case, complete with all her outfits and accessories. I had several Barbies, a couple of Kens, Skipper, Midge, the original Barbie Dream House—the whole bit. I even borrowed my brother’s G.I. Joe so I’d have another boy doll for the girls.
In some ways, I attribute my becoming a writer to playing with Barbie. While friends were more concerned with wardrobe changes, I was preoccupied with the various storylines. I remember thinking, Barbie and Ken can’t jet off to Paris. First of all, they’re having financial problems, and secondly, they’re in the middle of a fight. All that needs to be resolved before they can travel to Europe. So yes, my fascination with Barbie goes way back, but I never even thought about the people who created her and what kind of obstacles they had to overcome to bring her to market.
Can you talk about the research for this novel?
The research for this book was pure joy, filled with nostalgia and wonderful memories from my childhood. After I got the green light from my publisher to write this book, I delved into reading everything I could get my hands on. As you saw in my Author’s Note, not all accounts line up and there are definitely three sides to the Barbie story: Ruth’s, Jack’s, and the truth.
My friend and fellow author Stacey Ballis pointed out early on how crucial Barbie’s wardrobe was to the doll’s success, and it just so happens that Stacey’s good friend Helga Scherer makes doll clothes in 1:6 scale. We went to Helga’s studio, and she showed me some of the tricks of the trade and how she had converted a paper binder into a Barbie pocketbook, which I ended up using in the book.
In July 2022, I hit the research jackpot by attending the National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention. While there, I came to appreciate just how extensive and diverse the Barbie collector family is. There were women and men, young and old, all walking around with Barbie dolls. And I’d never seen so many Barbie accoutrements: Barbie sneakers, purses, jewelry, jackets and more. It was like I had crossed into a magical world. Everyone was happy and kind and beyond generous. It seemed like every time I sat down for a meal, my table host, Jared Mijares, showered me with Barbies and accessories. During the convention, I also met Barbie influencers and several Barbie designers, but nothing compared to meeting Carol Spencer, one of the original Barbie designers. Carol is Mattel royalty. They even had a pink throne for her up on the stage. Carol was gracious enough to have lunch with John and me and shared many stories of her journey with Barbie. I will forever be grateful for Carol’s generosity and her contributions to countless hours of play during my childhood.
What was the writing process like for you with this book?
I think the hardest part about writing this novel was deciding whose story it was. Ruth and Jack were constantly vying for attention on the page, and I also felt it was critical to introduce a fictional designer to round out the various themes of the book. I was frequently going back and forth— Is this Ruth’s story? Jack’s story? Or Stevie’s story? In the end, I realized it had to be all their stories as well as Elliot’s, Charlotte’s and that of all the little girls out there. I think it made for a richer story all the way around, but alas, also a long story.
When I turned the manuscript in, one of the first challenges my brilliant editor gave me was to cut one hundred pages from the book. I went in with a scalpel and struck every unnecessary word, scene and repetition until it was down to a lean, mean, manageable size. And that’s when the really hard work began. Once we pulled out all the weeds and excess, we could start to shape the narrative arcs and streamline what is a very complex story into something that would be entertaining as well as informative. To say that this book was a labor of love would be an immense understatement.