I'm M.G. Lorde.

And I'm Antonia Cerejido, and we're hosts of L.A. Made from L.A. Studios,

telling the stories of bold local innovators.

In the new season, we look at Barbie.

She's a cultural icon, but what do you really know about her?

We hear from Ruth Handler, who invented Barbie,

Jack Ryan, who was responsible for her outrageous plastic body,

and designer Charlotte Johnson, who created her iconic wardrobe.

And we hear from the marketing visionaries and strategists

who helped make Barbie the best-selling fashion doll in the world.

Stay tuned to her episode 1.

Subscribe to L.A. Made, the Barbie Tapes for new episodes,

available wherever you find great podcasts.

On a surprisingly brisk April morning, I walked into a vintage industrial building

in the Sheik Los Angeles Arts District.

I went past the door man, up in the elevator, and rang the doorbell.

Thank you for coming.

Let's start. Let's do it.

Inside of the apartment, I waited a treasure

that I knew was going to unlock the origin story of a national icon.

The person who's lost, I was standing in, is someone who L.A.'s listeners are already

probably pretty familiar with, the fabulous M.G. Lord, cultural critic,

...