Forever Barbie: An Iconic Deep Dive

The 30th anniversary edition of this classic work shines a light not only on the history of Barbie as a pop culture phenomenon and a successful product line, but also gives us a glimpse of a time when toys reigned supreme and there was more hope and joy in the hearts of both children and collectors.

Released in a 30th anniversary edition in 2024, M. G. Lord's classic Forever Barbie is the ultimate history book for the Barbie enthusiast. Early on in the book, I was worried that it was going to just give me a bunch of fact and anecdotes I was already familiar with; I've seen both Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie and Black Barbie: A Documentary several times, and the early chapters seemed to be giving me a lot of material I was already familiar with. However, as the book progressed, Lord dives deep into Barbie lore and culture from so many different angles: Barbie in books and magazines, the personality of Barbie collectors, the use of Barbie in modern art, and more.

If you have seen the documentaries I listed above, this book gives even more depth on things like Mattel's relationship and sponsorship of Shindana Toys and the development of Black Barbie, the history of the Bild Lilli doll and how it was transformed by the Handlers and Mattel, and more.

But what I liked even more was the fact that the book, written in the early 90s, presents a world of toys and toy collecting that is so much different than the one we live in now. Most of the dedicated toy stores that thrived in the 80s and 90s are gone or reduced to fewer, flagship locations. Barbie was the undisputed queen of fashion dolls and made quick work of rivals like Jem, and the book doesn't anticipate the very real competition faced by Mattel's darling girl in the new millennium: the release of Bratz dolls in 2001 and Monster High dolls in 2010. The toy industry is in a very different state than it was in the 90s, and this book gives a sense of nostalgia not just for Barbie admirers but for the love of a robust toy market that has is all but unrecognizable thirty years on.