[quote]TAISHAN, Taiwan (Reuters) - Barbie is making a comeback in a small town in Taiwan that used to churn out the blonde plastic dolls for top U.S. toymaker Mattel Inc. nearly 20 years ago.
But instead of strolling off factory belts, Barbie is showing off her outfits at a museum dedicated to the world’s most famous fashion doll.[/quote]
[quote]At its peak, about 8,000 people were on Mattel’s payroll, including factory workers, raw material suppliers and housewives contracted for work such as fastening buttons and bow-ties.
Many ex-workers say they still remember how to make a Barbie doll, recalling how they used to curl her hair with chopsticks and steam the strands using rice cookers in the early days.[/quote]
Oh, and this: [quote]“Barbie was something we couldn’t afford then. It was a luxury good,” said Teng Cheng-ming, who worked at the Mattel factory for 20 years. He said he was paid T$3 (equivalent to 10 cents today) per hour whereas a Barbie doll cost about T$200 at the time.[/quote]
[quote=“Josefus”]Oh, and this: [quote]“Barbie was something we couldn’t afford then. It was a luxury good,” said Teng Cheng-ming, who worked at the Mattel factory for 20 years. He said he was paid T$3 (equivalent to 10 cents today) per hour whereas a Barbie doll cost about T$200 at the time.[/quote][/quote]Wow. 67 hours of work for a barbie doll!!! Do they even cost $NT200 now?
The clothes, the car, the horses…