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Radio Atlantic

The Art of the Doll

Radio Atlantic

The Atlantic

Politics, News, Society & Culture

4.41.9K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Recently, Donald Trump mused that “maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know?” We talk with a doll manufacturer and a policy analyst about tariffs and Americans’ relationship with choice. Elenor Mak, founder of Jilly Bing, talks about her dream of giving Asian American kids the choice of having a doll that looks like them, and how the new tariffs might kill it. And Martha Gimbel, executive director of the Budget Lab at Yale, discusses the problem with this particular variety of two-doll nostalgia. Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/podsub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

I'm making a robot head with an Amazon box.

0:03.0

I've painted it silver and Daddy helped me make it.

0:05.0

At Amazon, we're actually using paper bags for more of our deliveries.

0:08.0

And now I'm making a paper hot air balloon

0:11.0

and I even made a little brown basket

0:13.0

and I'm making a dog that looks just like Monty.

0:16.0

Just one of the ways we've reduced the weight of our packaging by more than 40% since 2015,

0:20.0

which is still good for playtime.

0:22.6

Mom, where's the scissors? To learn more, visit aboutamason.com.com.com.

0:28.0

Sustainability. Kate's just off to work after sleeping in the best bed in the business.

0:34.9

And my word, doesn't she look ready for anything? Something about her smile

0:39.0

is just brighter. Her eyes seem glintier and she just feels so much more katier. Of

0:46.6

course it's no surprise really because last night she slept at Premier Inn and she got up to

0:51.4

15% off with Business Booker. Get better sleep for your money.

0:56.3

Premier in, rest easy.

0:58.6

T's and C's apply.

1:04.2

Last week at a cabinet meeting, while answering a question about tariffs,

1:12.6

President Donald Trump mentioned dolls. Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dollars, you know,

1:18.6

and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally. But we're not

1:23.7

talking about something. Now, this wasn't any deep social commentary, just an offhand statement. But it did get me

1:31.6

thinking about how kids today, including my own, do have a million dolls, versus say when I was a kid.

1:41.0

Do you remember your first doll? Oh, of course. My first doll was Ada.

...

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