Barbie Designer Jack Ryan Exposed: New Book Details Sex Obsession

Barbies just got a whole lot creepier thanks to revelations about the doll's designer Jack Ryan in Jerry Oppenheimer's new book "Toy Monster: The Big, Bad World of Mattel." Ryan died in 1991.

According to the New York Post's Page Six:

Staging orgies at his Bel-Air mansion, Ryan, whose wives included Zsa Zsa Gabor, surrounded himself with busty Barbie clones, including Gwen Florea, who was the "voice of Barbie" in a line of talking dolls. The book quotes her: "He once said to me he loved me being tall so he could stick his nose in my boobs when he hugged me."

Ryan's friend, Stephen Gnass, confides to the author: "When Jack talked about creating Barbie . . . it was like listening to somebody talk about a sexual episode, almost like listening to a sexual pervert . . ." Ryan took calls at Mattel from a madam and patronized "high-class call girls to streetwalkers," including a "very thin and child-like" hooker. The book claims that Ryan "somehow rationalized that he was the only man in her life" until he was diagnosed with gonorrhea.

Comments

[yasmeen]

"facts" that come out after someone dies and can no longer defend themselves, are not to be beleived.

[That Guy]

Burn the history books. If you can't talk to someone who was there, it can't be true!

[CaptainHowdy]

LOL... so much for all of history... according to your I-D-I-O-T-I-C rules.

M-O-R-O-N!

[EdinAnn]

I am 56 and must confess that I never liked Barbie dolls (or any dolls, as a matter of fact)--but Barbie REALLY gave me the creeps--those pointy boobs, ramrod straight limbs and maniacal grin were like something out of a horror movie, as far as I was concerned. And I had no interest in dressing it--despite the supposed appeal of Barbie's never-ending wardrobe. I never could figure out what one was supposed to "do" with dolls. I was the oldest of six and I remember one of my brothers removed the head from my sister's Barbie and left it floating in a jar of pickles in the refrigerator. That was great! Oddly enough, our daughter never had any interest in dolls either. We both loved stuffed animals, arts and crafts, board games and reading.

[speakyourmind]

I am 44 years old and I held on to my Barbies from the 1960's and now my daughter plays with them. They have "real" eyelashes that were not painted on but actually stuck out like little pieces of hair. I also still have all the clothes that my grandmother sewed for my Barbies. I also held on to my camper and my airplane.

It's a treasure that my daughter enjoys them now. She knows the clothes were all hand-sewn by her great grandmother (now deceased) and she has an appreciation for that fact. "Barbie" is not a dirty word in my household.

[mapleaforever]

Great photo of Lady Godibra riding her stallion.

[pup305]

Oh, look at Disney. the guy drawing in genitals in the movie. I am sure Disney was not ordering him to do this. People really need to chill out and stop sensationalizing everything.

[pup305]

I think people are reading a little too much into this.
Maybe Jack Ryan had his perverted issues, but that does not mean that was
Mattel's intent. Just because an employee has issues, doesn't mean it should reflect on the company.
Also, don't trust wikipedia. You have to read that with a grain of salt. Anyone can post stuff on there.
Barbie was created in the 40's from a paper doll. I would guess that probably the thought "oh lets make a doll for kids that is all about sex" was not on the mind of mother Handler.
Paper dolls of this time were long and curvy and all about fashion.
The whole comment about barbie affecting image is a cop out. It may contribute, but not entirely.

I played with Barbie and I have no image like that. Maybe it is the parents reinforcing this behavior that cause kids to have a complex...it is never one thing. Media, parents, peers are also participating.
Look at 2009 and we still have beauty pageants. Look at Bratz dolls. I saw a dominatrix bratz doll the other day. Talk about skanky.

I wonder if this author is related to the CEO of Bratz or any special interests with that company.?
They deserve what they get...they literally stole that from Mattel and made a billion dollar empire from Mattel's sketches. No matter what, if it is done inside the walls it is their IP.

[CynAnne]

My fellow HuffPo-ers beat me to it..I was going to say Barbies design was borrowed from a German doll known as "Bild Lilli" (she started as a comic-strip character), and it was Ruth Handler that adapted Lilli's look to create Barbie. As for Mr. Ryan, I haven't the foggiest idea as to whether these stories are true..but ANYTHING printed on the NYPs "Page Six" should be taken with an entire shaker of salt - a grain just doesn't cover their particular brand of 'truth'..! ;) ...

[djwfutbol]

What a load of crap! Because the guy enjoyed sex in the '70s (who didn't) and happened to be in the toy business, he was a pervert? What, should all toy manufacturers, designers, marketers and retailers abstain from sex? What a bizarre standard.

Lots and lots and lots of little girls enjoy these dolls. You would think anyone involved in providing such enjoyment would warrant accolades not circumstantial derision. Bah!

[vyfareon]

What the story is leaving out is that Barbie is based on a German prostitute. So all these little girls playing with their fashion doll were playing with this guys sex fantasy. The doll used to be given to pre teens but now girls as young as 3 play with them. Talk about trying to influence them at an early age!

[peithecelt]

wow, does that explain a LOT about why Barbies have been bad for women's sense of their own beauty.

sheesh.

[Sunshine85]

Barbie is diprortionate to a life size human. Her legs are like 75% of her height. Making her a freak of nature. Everybody I know that played with Barbie and Ken (as a child) pretended... well you know. Guess we're all perverts

[Buddy McCue]

Which answers the question suggested by EdinAnn (further up on this page) when she said, "I never could figure out what one was supposed to "do" with dolls."

When it comes right down to it, they're all "action figures," I guess.

[Lionsden]

Transparency and full disclosure: Mother NEVER let me have a Barbie doll (I was born in the mid-1950s). She thought they were immoral.

Conservative Americans and Christians thought Barbies were immoral back then and got laughed to scorn by the leftists in America.

How odd it is that this article, on a leftist blog, makes the Barbie doll out to be what the ole Christian "prudes" thought it was: sleazy.

Leftists did the same thing with cigarettes. Christians were very much opposed to them, but long ago the liberals told them to sit down and shut up about them. Then the left got all self-righteous about it and did more against cigarettes than the Christians ever dreamt of.

Now, if only the leftists would get a bee in its bonnet about theft (excessive taxation).

[mindact]

Emm, about the cigarette stuff, the right wing guys were the ones fighting tooth and nail on behalf of the tobacco companies. Lefties fought to cripple the industry.

[littlepuffycloud]

It was Washington state Democratic gov Christine Gregoire, as Atty General who won the millions against big tobacco in the mid-90's. The tobacco states, all in the south and all republican fought her every step of the way. Get your facts straight.

[Lionsden]

Well, thank you for making my point with Christine Gregoire.

If you don't know about the history of Christian condemnation of cigarette smoking, then I cannot help you since, obviously, you can look it up on the internet but chose instead to live in your ignorance.

Perhaps you just confuse every southerner with a Christian?

Okay, I'll help you out.

Try this: http://tobaccodocuments.org/women/23976.html

[stagebandman]

The IRS was created by the Repubs.

[sjones66]

I don't know where you hang out -- but I've noticed a creepy love of collecting barbies by adult "christian" women-- you know, the ones who sell the clothes at local art fairs and such? Plus, if you want to know who barbie appeals to, just check out the Fox news anchors or any Republican -- Cindy McCain, for one. They all have that same adoration for the look of a fake barbie. It's rather disconcerting. I think it 's interesting that the conservative movement cranks out these women who look like they've been through the Barbie Mill. Like Elizabeth Hasslebeck! Anyone seen her before she was famous? Dark brown hair, glasses, no fake teeth and no fake tan?

What is it with the manufactured barbie look and republicans? and all of their sexual arrests? weird.

[Lionsden]

I don't know where YOU hang out, because I don't hang out with creepy women at art shows who still play with dolls.

The barbie doll is an image of a certain type of female (ideolized). Cindy McCain cannot help it that she looks like that ideal. Oh, I guess she could get her clothes from a designer that makes stuff like Lady Mao (more Hillary's style) might wear, but that is a matter of choice.

[CognitoErgoSum]

The only reason Barbie has those proportions is so that the clothing made of a material thickness used for full-sized people wouldn't make her waist disappear. It would be the same if you or I had to wear clothing made out of carpet. That's probably why the first Ken dolls were so skinny.

[ilovevegas]

man that sounds like a bunch of bull to me

[smallfish]

the barbie look is a fetish. not just for men, but even more so for women. it's a ritual of identity.
life is just a fantasy, can you live this fantasy life?

[research]

Barbie was based on a German sex doll and adapted to the USA by Ruth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbie

[Treehuggindirtworshiper]

Thanks for bringing that fact to life. I was 35 when my daughter was born. I'm 46 now. I love Barbie. She over 40 and looks great! She's been an Olympian, doctor, politician, lawyer and countless other professions that were nontraditional roles for women. Barbie showed me I could be anything I wanted to be. My daughter and I still play with and collect Barbies. If I amblessed with a grandaughter she'll have a Nana that will play Barbies with her.