Handler, Ruth (1916-2002), was an American inventor and businesswoman. She is best known for creating the Barbie doll. Barbie became one of the world’s most popular dolls. In 1945, Handler and her husband, Elliot, cofounded the Mattel toy company.
Ruth Mosko was born on Nov. 4, 1916, in Denver, Colorado. She became interested in business during her teenage years. After studying at the University of Denver for one year, she traveled to Los Angeles, California. She began working at the motion-picture studio Paramount Pictures. In 1938, she married Elliot Handler.
In 1945, Ruth and Elliot Handler formed a toy company with their business partner Harold “Matt” Mattson. They chose the name Mattel as a combination of Matt and Elliot. The company first made picture frames, dollhouse furniture, cap guns, and musical toys. Mattel began advertising its toys—including a repeating cap gun called the Burp Gun—on Walt Disney Productions’ “Mickey Mouse Club” television series in 1955.
A family trip to Europe in 1956 inspired the Barbie doll. A German doll called Bild Lilli intrigued Handler’s daughter Barbara. Bild Lilli inspired Handler to create a doll unlike others of the time, many of which resembled babies. Handler also drew inspiration from paper dolls. She wanted to make a doll that had many interchangeable outfits. Handler named her new creation after her daughter.
In 1959, Mattel introduced the 11 1/2-inch (29-centimeter) tall vinyl Barbie doll at the American Toy Fair in New York City. The doll created some controversy, because the teenage Barbie had the figure of an adult woman. Barbie was one of the first toys to be advertised on television. The doll became popular almost immediately. Clothes for the Barbie doll were sold separately and came with accessories and shoes.
Handler received many awards for her invention and business insights. She died on April 27, 2002, in Los Angeles.
