LA Made: The Barbie Tapes
LAist Studios
4.3from 241 ratings
- 199
- Episodes
- 95
- Transcribed
- 241
- Ratings
- Daily
- Cadence
- 2022
- First episode
About LA Made: The Barbie Tapes
“LA Made” is a series exploring stories of bold Californian innovators and how they forever changed the lives of millions all over the world. Each season will unpack the untold and surprising stories behind some of the most exciting innovations that continue to influence our lives today. Season 3, "LA Made: The Other Moonshot," tells the story of three Black aerospace engineers in Los Angeles, who played a crucial role in America’s race to space, amid the civil unrest of the 1960s. When Joanne Higgins was growing up in Compton in Los Angeles, she heard her godfather, Charlie Cheathem, tell stories about his key role in the Apollo mission to the moon. As an adult, she realized that his experiences — and those of other Black engineers — had been left out of the history books. She set out to record for the first time the accounts of these men, now in their 90s, whose crucial contributions to the early days of the Apollo mission have been overlooked — or taken credit for by others — despite their ingenuity and determination. Season 2, “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes,” tells the backstory of the world’s most popular doll, Barbie. Barbie is a cultural icon but what do you really know about her? Hear Barbie's origin story from the people who created her. Co-hosted by Antonia Cereijido and M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll, hear the wild stories from never-before-heard tapes of interviews with Barbie inventor Ruth Handler, her wardrobe designer and the sculptors and fabricators, and the innovative marketers who made her what she is today. This 3-part series premieres July 6, 2023. Season 1, “LA Made: Blood, Sweat & Rockets,” tells the hidden story of the fearless, groundbreaking and ambitious crew who shaped our quest to outer space and ushered in the early days of space exploration at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at CalTech. Known as the “Suicide Squad,” the team’s road to triumph was fraught with controversies involving the occult, a suspected spy ring, unplanned explosions, and a suspicious death. Join writer and life-long aerospace fanatic M.G. Lord as she uncovers their story and reveals the shocking origins of rocket science in this 12 episode season. Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. This podcast was made possible with support from the Committee for Greater LA in partnership with the Weingart Foundation.
- Publisher
- LAist Studios
- Category
- history · society & culture
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 7 Nov 2022
- Latest episode
- 2 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
95 of 199 episodes have a transcript.
2 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
Imperfect Paradise: What went wrong with the Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights?
25 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
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18 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT
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Inside a recent episode
Imperfect Paradise: What went wrong with the Lineage warehouse fire in Boyle Heights?
Published 2 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Helicopters were doing water drops and Lineage even had outsourced these high powered water cannons from Texas to help the fire department. The problem was that the firefighters couldn't get into the building and they were trying to put out the fire that was happening inside. Alejandra, once they got into the building, why did it take so long to put out? The L.A. Fire Department said that cold storage facilities like this have historically been among the most challenging fires to fight. And that's because of the layout of the building, its size and the large amounts of foam insulation. What was the impact of the fire on residents and on business owners in the area? […]
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See plansWho has been a guest on LA Made: The Barbie Tapes
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Laura Anaya-Morga
- Alejandra Molina
- Dawn Chmielewski
- David Wagner
- Kavish Harjai
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.2 / 5
- 190 ratings
- Spotify
- 4.5 / 5
- 51 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 64 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 91
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 0
- Engagement
- 92
Contact LA Made: The Barbie Tapes
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about LA Made: The Barbie Tapes
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does LA Made: The Barbie Tapes take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
95 of 199 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
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