Living in a Barbie World

5/6/11 – 9:30 am (From Taichung)

Earlier in the trip we visited the Meining Workshop, Inc. It is located in Taishan Township (in Taipei County). In 1959 Mettel began producing Barbie and in 1966 opened the Taishan factory to make the very popular dolls and their clothes. In the 1960’s and 70’s the plant employed one third of Taishan’s population. It was definitely a Barbie town and the employees loved their jobs. Barbie became a part of the town, a part of the culture, and a part of the workers. In 1987 Mattel relocated its productions to cheaper locations, such as mainland China, and Taishan was devastated.

Much of Taishan was left unemployed, but still maintained the skills of making the doll clothing. For the former workers, making the outfits was a labor of love which is why they are preserving the Barbie memory by making exquisite dresses for the popular doll. The Meining Workshop hopes the sale of the dresses continues to grow and creates more opportunities for Taishan.  

What impressed me most about the Meining Workshop was the organizational culture and citizenship. Can you think of an example that illustrates a stronger commitment? In this case the dress makers loved their jobs and took pride in what they did. When Mattel left, they took it upon themselves to start their own operation and continue a business that brought them so much joy and a strong community bond.     

My daughter, Isabella, loves Barbies and is going to be very jealous of my visit. I wish I would have been able to purchase one of the beautiful dresses for her Barbies, but they are very elegant and I don’t think one would survive the suitcase ride to the other side of the planet.