Jessica Smith

I think that I finally finished this project.  It was a lot more time consuming than I thought.  The finishing touches, pictures and making sure that all of my links were there, went fairly smoothly.  I also enjoyed reading other peoples culture sites and seeing the kind of people that they find to research.

 On another note I have been too consumed with this project to even think about my teach project, but I am sure that I will come up with a topic in the next day or two.

I found this portion of the project a bit difficult.  I think that I am atleast getting close to where I want to be though.  I experienced minor issues while posting the different components of my paper, but I think that I have it figured out now.  I just hope that posting pictures isn’t going to be very difficult.  There have certainly been some complications along the way, but I think that I may make it through this project.

Jane Nichols responded to my email this morning.  She gave me quite a few recommendations including books, websites, and database searches to find the information that I am looking for.  I think that communicating with her will be a big help.  I usually just start to research on a topic without knowing where to begin, I think that her help will make the process go faster and I will know that the sources are scholarly and not simply some website with illegitimate information.

I sent Jane Nichols an email Friday afternoon.  I must have waited too long though cause I have not yet gotten a response to the email.  My plan is to wait until the end of the day on Monday for a response.  If I do not receive a response tomorrow then I will resend the email and hope for a response. I am very much looking forward to her response because I asked some specific questions on where to look for information on the actual production process of Ruth Handler’s Barbie dolls.

Ruth Handler was born on November 4, 1916 to Polish immigrants who settled in Denver.  When she was 19 she headed to Hollywood and took a course in industrial design.  She married Elliot Handler in 1938 and they had two children Barbara and Kenneth.  Ruth’s husband and business partner Harold Matson formed a company by the name of Mattel that manufactured picture frames.  Shortly after Ruth convinced them to sell doll house furniture and then toys, including a popular children’s guitar. 

After some time Ruth managed to design an adult doll for children called Barbie, named after her daughter.  There was some apprehension on Mattel’s part of whether or not an adult doll for children would be successful.  Barbie debuted at the American Toy Fair in New York in 1959 and was an instant success.  350,000 were sold in the first year. 

Ruth later became the president of Mattel, Inc in 1967 and later invented again.  This time after a mastectomy she invented a prosthetic breast called “Nearly Me”.  Ruth Handler died on April 27, 2002, therefore interviewing her would be out of the question, although it would have been a great learning experience too.

I do not know what my topic is going to be for this project yet, nonetheless I am looking forward to doing it.  It will certainly challenge me and be a new experience for me as well.