Rob Goldberg, historian
author of *Radical Play*
RadicalPlaytheBook.com
RadicalPlaytheBook.com
This book tells the little known yet fascinating story of how the cultural revolution of the 1960s and protests against the Vietnam War came to the world of children's toys, from Barbie to GI Joe. By the 1970s, the American toy business, like America itself, would never be the same again!
Author's site
Author's site
"Black (Doll) Power" // Sweet July Magazine, Winter 2023
"Black (Doll) Power" // Sweet July Magazine, Winter 2023
Interview // The Playground Podcast w/ Chris Byrne
Interview // The Playground Podcast w/ Chris Byrne
The Feminist Toy Campaign // Ms. Magazine
The Feminist Toy Campaign // Ms. Magazine
A gender-neutral toy law in California comes from 1970s toy campaigns against gender-based marketing—like Ms. magazine's Toys for Free Children.
A Social History of Toys // The Brian Lehrer Show WNYC
A Social History of Toys // The Brian Lehrer Show WNYC
A look at the social justice campaigns of the 1960s and 70s that made toys more diverse and less gendered.
Interview // Toy Tales
Interview // Toy Tales
The Legacy of Shindana Toys // American Journal of Play
The Legacy of Shindana Toys // American Journal of Play
Decoding Barbie’s Radical Pose // The New Yorker
Decoding Barbie’s Radical Pose // The New Yorker
The “Barbie” movie glides over the history of dolls as powerful cultural objects.
Instagram
Instagram
Ginia Bellafante's Big City Column // The New York Times
Ginia Bellafante's Big City Column // The New York Times
Baby Nancy, the First "Black" Doll // The Los Angeles Times
Baby Nancy, the First "Black" Doll // The Los Angeles Times
Q-and-A about Radical Play with Duke University Press
Q-and-A about Radical Play with Duke University Press
Rob Goldberg is an historian of American childhood, toys, and play. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently Head of the History Department at Germantow…
Black Toys and Toymakers: panel discussion at the Strong Museum
Black Toys and Toymakers: panel discussion at the Strong Museum
Watch The Strong's virtual event about Shindana Toys—the Black-owned company behind the groundbreaking Baby Nancy doll. Hosted by The Strong’s Christopher Be...
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