5 things to know about Barbie creator Ruth Handler

The new Barbie movie is making waves across North America as well as the world. While the idea and concept surrounding the making of the live action film is fairly new, the origin of the iconic American doll dates to the late 1950s.

Barbie was the brainchild of an American businesswoman/inventor named Ruth Handle, who founded the toy manufacturing company, Mattel, with her husband. She created the first-ever fashion doll in the year 1959.

The 2023 film based on the doll has been directed by Greta Gerwig, and it stars Margot Robbie as Barbie, Kate McKinnon as Weird Barbie, Issa Rae as President Barbie, Dua Lipa as the Mermaid Barbie, Ryan Gosling as Ken, and John Cena as Kenmaid.

They are joined by America Ferrera as Gloria, Michael Cera as Allan, Ariana Greenblatt as Sasha, and Rhea Perlman as the Ruth Handler's ghost, among several others.

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Who was Ruth Handler? Five important facts to know about the Barbie doll inventor

1) Handler was born to immigrant parents

Handler was born in 1916 to a blacksmith named Jacob Moskowicz and his wife Ida Moskowicz, née Rubenstein in Ruth Marianna Mosko in Denver, Colorado. The family were Polish-Jewish immigrants.

Ruth then moved to Los Angeles in the year 1938, after tying the knot to Elliot Handler, who was her boyfriend from high school. After moving to a new city, she began working in Paramount.

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2) Before toys, Ruth Handler and her husband made furniture

Ruth's husband Elliot had some experience in furniture making. The couple decided to make their furniture with two plastic varieties, Lucite and Plexiglas. Ruth later advised Elliot to start selling furniture commercially and thus began a new furniture manufacturing company.

While Elliot was the brains behind the operation, his wife Ruth handled sales. She even struck deals with several high-profile clients like Douglas Aircraft Company and other companies.

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3) Foundation of Mattel

Following the success of their small business, Ruth recognized the potential of becoming an entrepreneur along with her husband. The couple soon joined hands with Harold "Matt" Matson. Harold's last name and Elliot's first name were combined to form "Mattel."

Ruth's name was also supposed to be used, but it apparently didn't fit the company title. The sale of furniture fell drastically during World War II, which prompted the couple to try their luck in toy furniture. Mattel soon became a full-time toy manufacturing company.

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4) Birth of Barbie

The origin of the iconic doll has two different stories. According to the first one, when Ruth and Elliot were visiting Europe, they spotted a doll that looked like an adult woman. This was uncommon because dolls of infants were the most popular toys back then.

However, the other story states that after Ruth witnessed her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls, she wanted to create something that was more realistic. The first-ever doll was introduced at the American Toy Fair held on March 9, 1959, in New York City.

The doll was a huge hit. It alone sold 351,000 units within a period of 12 months following its launch. As time went by, a new male character called Ken was introduced.

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5) Life after quitting Mattel

Handler resigned from Mattel in 1974, after being found guilty of fraud and false reporting to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. After pleading no contest, she had to pay a fine of $57,000 and do 2,500 hours of community service.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1970 and cited her illness as the reason behind losing her focus on her business. Handler died on April 27, 2002, at the age of 85.

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Rhea Perlman plays Ruth Handler in the 2023 film, Barbie.