Ruth Handler
Encyclopedia
Ruth Handler was an American
businesswoman, born to Jewish-Polish immigrants Jacob and Ida Moskowicz, the president of the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc.
, and is remembered primarily for her role in marketing the Barbie doll
.
and his business partner, Harold "Matt" Matson
, formed a small company to manufacture picture frames, calling it "Mattel" by combining part of their names ("Matt" and "Elliot"). Later, they began using scraps from the manufacturing process to make dollhouse furniture. The furniture was more profitable than the picture frames and it was decided to concentrate on toy manufacturing. The company's first big-seller was the "Uke-a-doodle", a toy ukulele
.
, who was becoming a pre-teen, preferred playing with her infant paper dolls and giving them adult roles. She wanted to produce a plastic doll with an adult body but her husband and Mr. Matson thought it wouldn't sell. But when the Handlers were on a European trip, Ruth Handler saw the German Bild Lilli doll
(which was not meant for children at all; rather a gag gift for adults) in a Swiss shop and brought it home.
Once home, she reworked the design of the doll and re-named her Barbie
after her daughter. Barbie debuted at the New York
toy fair on March 9, 1959. Barbie became an instant success, rocketing the Handlers and their toy company toward fame and fortune. Subsequently they would add a boyfriend for Barbie named Ken, after Handler's son, and many other "friends and family" to Barbie's world.
, See 'n' Say, Hot Wheels
, Creepy Crawlers
and Incredible Edibles
. Ruth Handler became president of Mattel in 1968
, which was often used at the time to combat the disease, and because of difficulties in finding a good breast prosthesis, she decided to make her own. Handler went on to found a company, Ruthton Corp., formed by her and Peyton Massey, which manufactured a more realistic version of a woman's breast, called "Nearly Me".
Though the Handlers took a more hands-off approach to their company's business practice after resigning, they still kept creating more ideas. One project Handler took on in the 1980s was Barbie and the Rockers. She was credited as a writer of the 1987 film Barbie and the Rockers: Out of this World
. Handler was inducted into the Junior Achievement
U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1997.
She died in California
from complications of colon cancer surgery on April 27, 2002, aged 85.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businesswoman, born to Jewish-Polish immigrants Jacob and Ida Moskowicz, the president of the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc.
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
, and is remembered primarily for her role in marketing the Barbie doll
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
.
The formation of Mattel
Her husband, Elliot HandlerElliot Handler
Elliot Handler was the co-founder of Mattel. With his wife, he was a developer of some of the biggest-selling toys in American history, including Barbie dolls, Chatty Cathy, Creepy Crawlers and Hot Wheels....
and his business partner, Harold "Matt" Matson
Harold Matson
Harold Matson was an American literary agent and founder of the Harold Matson Company. His clients included Evelyn Waugh, C. S. Forester, Arthur Koestler, Malcolm Lowry William Saroyan, Allen Drury, Robert Ruark, Herman Wouk, Evan S...
, formed a small company to manufacture picture frames, calling it "Mattel" by combining part of their names ("Matt" and "Elliot"). Later, they began using scraps from the manufacturing process to make dollhouse furniture. The furniture was more profitable than the picture frames and it was decided to concentrate on toy manufacturing. The company's first big-seller was the "Uke-a-doodle", a toy ukulele
Ukulele
The ukulele, ; from ; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings....
.
Barbie: the beginning
Ruth Handler had noted that her daughter BarbaraBarbara Handler
Barbara Handler is the daughter of Elliot and Ruth Handler, the co-founders of Mattel Inc. Toymakers. She is the namesake of the Barbie doll. The inspiration for the now-famous teen-age fashion model doll, came from watching her daughter Barbara, who would use her paper dolls and clothes in adult...
, who was becoming a pre-teen, preferred playing with her infant paper dolls and giving them adult roles. She wanted to produce a plastic doll with an adult body but her husband and Mr. Matson thought it wouldn't sell. But when the Handlers were on a European trip, Ruth Handler saw the German Bild Lilli doll
Bild Lilli doll
The Bild Lilli Doll was a German fashion doll produced from 1950 to 1964, based on the comic-strip character Lilli. She is the predecessor of Barbie.-History:...
(which was not meant for children at all; rather a gag gift for adults) in a Swiss shop and brought it home.
Once home, she reworked the design of the doll and re-named her Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
after her daughter. Barbie debuted at the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
toy fair on March 9, 1959. Barbie became an instant success, rocketing the Handlers and their toy company toward fame and fortune. Subsequently they would add a boyfriend for Barbie named Ken, after Handler's son, and many other "friends and family" to Barbie's world.
The "adult" doll Barbie
Ruth Handler says that when she bought "Bild Lilli" she was ignorant of its adult nature. Handler said that she thought it "was important to a girl's esteem that she plays with a doll with breasts," and Barbie was certainly qualified to be that doll. If the doll originally marketed were human-sized, her measurements would have been 39-18-33. Critics claimed the measurements were based on male fantasy rather than actual human metrics, and the so-called unrealistic proportions of Barbie has continued to be controversial, with many suggesting that playing with Barbie decreases rather than enhances a girl's self-esteem. In response to criticism, Mattel has adjusted the chest measurement down and the waist measurement up, though the proportions are still uncharacteristic of "typical" women. Conversely, the undersized waist also accommodated the bulk of fabric at waistline seams in garments such as full-skirted dresses, a staple of the Barbie doll's early wardrobe.The growth and decline of Mattel
Mattel continued to diversify its toy line, which grew to include Chatty CathyChatty Cathy
Chatty Cathy is a doll manufactured by the Mattel toy company from 1959 to 1965. The doll was first released in stores and appeared in television commercials beginning in 1960. Chatty Cathy celebrated her 50th birthday in 2010....
, See 'n' Say, Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
, Creepy Crawlers
Creepy Crawlers
Creepy Crawlers is the best-known name associated with an activity toy made by Mattel beginning in 1964. A more generic term for the toy is "Thingmaker"....
and Incredible Edibles
Incredible Edibles
Incredible Edibles was a toy sold by Mattel in the 1960s. It was a series of circular metal molds into which Gooble De-Goop, a candy-like gel, was squeezed. The form was then placed in a small oven and baked into a rubbery soft candy in the shape of worms and insects.A later set was made to bake...
. Ruth Handler became president of Mattel in 1968
Later years
Handler was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1970. She had a modified radical mastectomyMastectomy
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to prevent cancer...
, which was often used at the time to combat the disease, and because of difficulties in finding a good breast prosthesis, she decided to make her own. Handler went on to found a company, Ruthton Corp., formed by her and Peyton Massey, which manufactured a more realistic version of a woman's breast, called "Nearly Me".
Though the Handlers took a more hands-off approach to their company's business practice after resigning, they still kept creating more ideas. One project Handler took on in the 1980s was Barbie and the Rockers. She was credited as a writer of the 1987 film Barbie and the Rockers: Out of this World
Barbie and the Rockers: Out of this World
Barbie and the Rockers: Out of this World is a 1987 TV special created by DIC Entertainment with Saban Productions featuring popular Mattel character Barbie. The story was based upon the Barbie and the Rockers line of dolls, which featured Barbie as the leader of a rock band...
. Handler was inducted into the Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement
Junior Achievement or JA or JA Worldwide is a non-profit youth organization that was founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and senator Winthrop M. Crane. JA focuses on educating kids in K-12 about the free enterprise system...
U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1997.
She died in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
from complications of colon cancer surgery on April 27, 2002, aged 85.
External links
- Ruth Handler Papers.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
- Ruth Handler, Barbie Doll Invention
- Altman, Julie."Ruth Mosko Handler." Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. 20 March 2009. Jewish Women's Archive. January 5, 2010