LA Made: The Barbie Tapes

LA Made: The Barbie Tapes
LAIST STUDIOS PREMIUM

Ad free episodes from all our shows

$4.990/month or $49.990/year

“LA Made” is a series exploring stories of bold Californian innovators and how they forever changed the lives of millions all over the world. Each season will unpack the untold and surprising stories behind some of the most exciting innovations that continue to influence our lives today. Season 2, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes,” tells the backstory of the world’s most popular doll, Barbie. Barbie is a cultural icon but what do you really know about her? Hear Barbie's origin story from the people who created her. Co-hosted by Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll, hear the wild stories from never-before-heard tapes of interviews with Barbie inventor Ruth Handler, her wardrobe designer and the sculptors and fabricators, and the innovative marketers who made her what she is today. This 3-part series premieres July 6, 2023. Season 1, “LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets,” tells the hidden story of the fearless, groundbreaking and ambitious crew who shaped our quest to outer space and ushered in the early days of space exploration at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at CalTech. Known as the “Suicide Squad,” the team’s road to triumph was fraught with controversies involving the occult, a suspected spy ring, unplanned explosions, and a suspicious death. Join writer and life-long aerospace fanatic M.G. Lord as she uncovers their story and reveals the shocking origins of rocket science in this 12 episode season. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This podcast was made possible with support from the Committee for Greater LA in partnership with the Weingart Foundation.

Shows with Subscription Benefits

  • WILD is a podcast about growing up … kind of. About those big and small moments that transform us forever. About how sometimes we come out on the other side of chaos or adversity with scars, but we come out stronger. WILD is back for season two. This season, it's all about love with co-hosts Erick Galindo and Megan Tan. You heard Megan's pandemic love story in season one. This time, Erick tells Megan a fictional love story, inspired by the wildest thing he once did for love. It starts with an invite on a cross-country road trip with the woman who stole his heart. Join Erick and Melinna Bobadilla, Gabrielle Ruiz and Atsuko Okatsuka. Does Erick find his one true love? Find out on WILD Season 2: I Think I’m Falling in Love. Catch new episodes every Tuesday.

  • Imperfect Paradise is an award-winning weekly narrative podcast showcasing California stories with universal significance, hosted by Antonia Cereijido. Each deeply reported story is driven by characters who illuminate aspects of American identity and underscore California's reputation as a home for dreamers and schemers, its heartbreaking inequality, its varied and diverse communities, its unique combination of dense cities and wild places. New episodes premiere Wednesdays, with broadcasts on LAist 89.3 the following Sundays. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

  • California Love is a blend of memoir, pop culture analysis and oral history. The newest season, K-pop Dreaming, is about the rise and history of K-pop in the United States, as told from the point-of-view of the Korean diaspora in Los Angeles. Host Vivian Yoon takes listeners on a journey from K-pop’s origins in Korean trot music and American presence in post-war South Korea to the 1992 LA Uprising and the booming global popularity of K-pop in the present day, all juxtaposed against Yoon’s own coming-of-age as a second generation immigrant in Los Angeles, struggling to fit in and come to terms with her own identity. The series premieres on February 23rd. In the first season Walter Thompson-Hernández was inspired by Tupac and Dr. Dre's "California Love"- a love letter and anthem for a generation. Walter invites listeners to join him in his family home, on horseback through the streets of Compton, and up into the sky to examine belonging.

  • Deep in the Mojave Desert, there is a little town with a big name and a bizarre history: California City. For decades, real estate developers have sold a dream here: if you buy land now, you’ll be rich one day. Thousands of people bought this dream. Many were young couples and hard-working immigrants looking to build a better future. But much of the land they bought is nearly worthless.  In this new podcast from LAist Studios, host Emily Guerin tells a story of money, power and deception.

  • We are facing a crisis. With the continuing pandemic, stress over climate change and natural disasters, and socio-economic uncertainty it’s not hard to understand why millions of Americans say they don’t feel OK. But there is a growing amount of proof in a simple treatment available to everyone: just stepping outside. On Human/Nature, host Marcos Trinidad, a nature expert with roots in North East L.A., will inspire you to go out and explore and connect with nature in your city.  This podcast will empower you to reclaim your attention. Spending time in nature isn’t just good for our minds — in this tech obsessed culture — it’s the ultimate form of resistance.  Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

  • The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and LAist Studios present a new multi-season audio series that examines the myriad of stories of our cinematic history. Jacqueline Stewart, Chief Artistic and Programming Officer of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and a MacArthur Fellow, hosts the series.  The Academy Awards have been a source of iconic moments and cultural impact since the award ceremony began in 1929. The awards often reflect and amplify the political, economic, and the cultural movements of the time, and that’s what season 1 of this podcast (“And the Oscar Goes To...”) is all about.  “And The Oscar Goes To…," premieres on Friday, March 25. This 10-episode season goes behind the scenes of touchstone years of the Academy AwardsⓇ, probing key social and cultural moments that have come to define the film industry and the broader artistic community. Biweekly episodes include revelatory interviews and in-depth conversations with Oscar winners, film artists, industry leaders, activists, and scholars, as well as archival audio and other exclusive content that will only be accessible through the podcast. Academy Museum digital engagement platforms, including this podcast, are sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.* This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.*

LAIST STUDIOS PREMIUM

Ad free episodes from all our shows

$4.990/month or $49.990/year

About

“LA Made” is a series exploring stories of bold Californian innovators and how they forever changed the lives of millions all over the world. Each season will unpack the untold and surprising stories behind some of the most exciting innovations that continue to influence our lives today. Season 2, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes,” tells the backstory of the world’s most popular doll, Barbie. Barbie is a cultural icon but what do you really know about her? Hear Barbie's origin story from the people who created her. Co-hosted by Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll, hear the wild stories from never-before-heard tapes of interviews with Barbie inventor Ruth Handler, her wardrobe designer and the sculptors and fabricators, and the innovative marketers who made her what she is today. This 3-part series premieres July 6, 2023. Season 1, “LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets,” tells the hidden story of the fearless, groundbreaking and ambitious crew who shaped our quest to outer space and ushered in the early days of space exploration at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at CalTech. Known as the “Suicide Squad,” the team’s road to triumph was fraught with controversies involving the occult, a suspected spy ring, unplanned explosions, and a suspicious death. Join writer and life-long aerospace fanatic M.G. Lord as she uncovers their story and reveals the shocking origins of rocket science in this 12 episode season. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This podcast was made possible with support from the Committee for Greater LA in partnership with the Weingart Foundation.

More From LAist Studios

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada