Of course, workers caught carrying a doll home were sacked immediately. Generally, according to Teng, also a labor-union member at Mattel, the company treated its employees fairly well.
"The company put in plenty of employee-welfare funds. We ate well and had parties in the factory. It was like a big family. We dated the girls and got married here," said Teng, whose wife was also a Mattel employee.
In 1984, employees were informed that the factory would move its operations to Indonesia and China and the factory closed in 1987. There were no disputes or fights from the labor side, as the union negotiated a severance fee with the management.
Each worker was paid between NT$100,000 and NT$200,000. But the local economy suffered.
Ku Tsuei-eh now serves in the Taishan Township Office and Community Rebuilding Team. He was one of those behind the setting up of the doll museum. The museum now displays 400 differently clad Barbie dolls, as well as antiques and photos of the history of Mattel in Taiwan.
"The doll-making was a major part of Taishan Township. So we want to restore doll-making culture in this town," Ku said.
In the past five years of preparing the doll museum, the team set up workshops for Taishan residents to learn designing and making clothes for Barbie dolls. The workshop also invited old employees, such as Lin and Teng, to talk about their experiences.
Recounting her days at Mattel, Lin Ah-ching feels that living in Barbie's world was accidental but nice.
"It was all about making a living. I was never a big fan of dolls and I never had the luxury of collecting them. But I know how to make a perfect doll," she said.
For your information :
Taishan Doll Museum: 26, Lane 26 Fengchiang Road, Taishan, Taipei County (
Telephone: (02) 8531 1406
RSS