Barbie Inventor Ruth Handler’s True Story & How She Named The Doll

summary

• Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie pays homage to real-life Barbie creator Ruth Handler in a number of ways.
• (Ruth Handler co-founded Mattel, the toy company behind Barbie, in 1945, although her name does not appear in the company title.)娃娃背后的玩具公司，但她的名字并未出现在公司名称中。[1945年，露丝·汉德勒(RuthHandler)与他人共同创立了美泰(Mattel)，这家芭比娃娃背后的玩具公司，但她的名字并未出现在公司名称中。[1945年，露丝·汉德勒(RuthHandler)与他人共同创立了美泰(Mattel)，这家芭比娃娃背后的玩具公司，但她的名字并未出现在公司名称中。
• Despite facing controversial and legal issues, Ruth Handler continued to make significant contributions after the creation of Barbie, including founding a breast implant company.

Warning: There is a Barbie reveal.

Greta Gerwig Barbie doll An Easter egg in the film refers to Barbie’s true origins, but not all audiences know the true story behind the famous fashion doll and its creator, Ruth Handler. Inspired by the iconic toy of the same name from the movie Greta Gerwig Barbie doll The film follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) on ​​their journey of self-discovery as they leave Barbieland for the real world. Barbie doll not only attracted a lot of attention because of the unique premise, but also because of the incredible box office competition oppenheimermaking Barbie one of the most anticipated movies of summer 2023.

In spite of Barbie doll The film takes a fantasy approach to the universe and the characters Mattel created, and pays homage to the doll’s creator in real life. Ruth Handler, Barbie creator and Mattel founder, is an integral part not only of Barbie’s true story but also of Margot Robbie’s character journey. Barbie doll Movie.However, though Barbie doll There are many references and jokes to Ruth Handler’s actual plot with Mattel and the dolls, and their meaning may not be immediately obvious. Here’s the real story of Ruth Handler’s Barbie creation, including the origins and life of Ruth after Barbie.

Ruth Handler founded Mattel in 1945

Ruth Handler is not only behind the creation of Barbie dolls, but is integral to the creation of the Mattel toy giant. Ruth’s husband and business partner, Elliott, used to make furniture, and Ruth saw it as a potential business opportunity. The two then teamed up with Harold.”Matt“Matson, which led to the founding of Mattel in 1945. Mattel’s name is derived from a combination of Matson’s last name and Elliot Handler’s name, while Ruth’s name is not represented, although she is important to the company’s origins as a founder.”unable to adapt‘. Contrary to Mattel’s later claim to fame, the company started out as a furniture manufacturer.

During World War II, furniture sales plummeted, forcing Mattel to switch from furniture production to toy manufacturing. After achieving great success in selling toys, Mattel turned his focus entirely to toys and this work continues to this day. Before creating Barbie, Mattel had several other popular toys on the market, including something called “”doodle ukulele“Magic Ball 8 and Fisher-Price’s Corn Popper.

Ruth Handler’s real-life inspiration for inventing Barbie dolls

Although Barbie has been criticized as impractical over the years, the inspiration for Ruth Handler’s dolls came from her own life. There were two key moments that inspired Ruth to create Barbie. While vacationing in Europe with her husband and children, Ruth noticed a fashion doll named Bild Lilli that stood out to her from the dolls girls played with in America. On a solo vacation, Ruth observes her daughter playing with paper dolls and wonders why her daughter doesn’t have 3D dolls to dress up with when her son has so many toys to choose from.

Because of these life events, Ruth decided to make a realistic 3D fashion doll for Mattel. Ruth’s goal when designing Barbie was to create a toy for girls that allowed them to imagine who they wanted to be and who they wanted to be, just as boys can imagine their own toys. Mattel’s Barbie debuted at the American Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959. The doll was an instant success, paving the way for Barbie to become the cultural icon it is today.

Ruth Handler named Barbie after her daughter

The Barbie doll’s name also pays homage to Ruth’s real-life inspiration for creating the doll. Ruth named Mattel’s new doll after her stepdaughter, Barbara Handler, who was created due to her lack of powerful toys. Likewise, the toy giant once again drew inspiration from the members of the Handler family when Mattel decided to add the Barbie boyfriend doll to the company’s roster. Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, is named after Ruth and Elliott’s son, Kenneth. Naming Mattel’s two main dolls after the Handler’s children is a helpful reminder of the doll’s origins: Give Barbara a toy with multiple play options like Kenneth.

Did Ruth Handler and Mattel ever violate the IRS?

In Greta Gerwig Barbie doll In the film, Ruth Handler (played by Rhea Perlman) jokingly alludes to Mattel’s conflict with the IRS. Unfortunately for Ruth Handler’s true legacy, Barbie dollThe IRS joke about Mattel is based on fact. In the 1970s, it was reported that the toy company Mattel had forged invoices, receipts and signatures to paint a brighter financial picture, causing controversy. In fact, Mattel did indeed report a loss of millions of dollars. The scandal caused Handlers to resign from the company, but the damage was done.

In 1978, Ruth Handler was indicted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for fraud and false reporting, but she pleaded not guilty (although she maintained her innocence in public). As a result, Ruth Handler was fined $57,000 and 2,500 hours of community service for the crime. The expulsion of Handlers following the Mattel cheating scandal in the 1970s remains a stain on Ruth Handler’s legacy, sometimes overshadowing her important contributions to Mattel as the creator of Barbie dolls.

What Happened After the Handler Ruth Actually Made Barbie

After creating the Barbie doll in 1959, Ruth Handler continued to play a key role in Mattel’s operations until she and Elliott resigned from the company in 1974 amid Mattel’s fraud controversy. In 1970, Ruth was going through a tough time when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy. Frustrated by the difficulty of finding lifelike implants, Ruth decided to make her own. With the help of her business partner Peyton Massey, Ruth founded a new company called Ruthton Corp., which created “”Close to me“Breast implants, a very popular invention.

After Handlers left Mattel in 1974, Ruth and Elliott Handler largely lived out of the public eye. In the later stages of her life, Ruth contracted colon cancer, the disease that eventually led to her death. Ruth Handler died on April 27, 2002 at the age of 85 from complications from surgery for colon cancer. Although her reputation has been complicated by her involvement in the Mattel cheating scandal, Ruth Handler is still best remembered and celebrated for her innovations in the creation of Barbie dolls.

Explaining the role of Ruth Handler in the movie Barbie

Barbie doll Ruth Handler’s work is not only used in the film, but it also has an important tribute to Handler. Ruth to Play Spirit in the movie Greta Gerwig Barbie doll, as the god of the land of Barbie, suits Ruth as the creator of Barbie. She helps and advises Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s films, especially as Barbie struggles to become a promising human. Barbie doll At the end of the film, Ruth reveals her identity to Barbie and expresses that Barbie’s story has no end, which inspired Barbie to embrace the human world. Ruth Handler’s real-life contributions make her the perfect person to help Barbie Barbie doll Back to the real world.