Ruth Handler
Inventor of the Barbie doll and co-founder of Mattel.
Ruth Marianna Handler (born Mosko; November 4, 1916 – April 27, 2002) was an American businesswoman and inventor. She is most famous for creating the Barbie doll in 1959 and for co-founding the toy company Mattel alongside her husband Elliot. She also served as Mattel's first president from 1945 until 1975.
Handler was born in Denver, Colorado, to Polish-Jewish immigrants. She was the youngest of ten children. At six months old, she was sent to live with her older sister Sarah, staying there until she was 19. She developed an interest in business while working at Sarah's drugstore and soda fountain. In 1932, she fell in love with Izzy Handler, an art student. During her sophomore year at the University of Denver, she moved to Los Angeles for a summer job at Paramount Studio. She married Izzy in 1938 in Denver, and after returning to California, she encouraged him to go by his middle name, Elliot. She went back to work at Paramount, while Elliot worked as a lighting fixture designer.
Elliot later took up furniture-making, using Lucite and Plexiglas. At Ruth's suggestion, they started a furniture business, with Ruth handling sales. She secured contracts with companies like Douglas Aircraft. Business executive Harold "Matt" Matson joined them, and they renamed the company Mattel by combining "Matson" and "Elliot." (Elliot later noted they couldn't find a way to include Ruth's name.) When sales dropped during World War II, Mattel began making toy furniture. Its success led the company to focus entirely on toys.
Watching her daughter Barbara and her friends play with paper dolls and act out adult scenarios, Handler saw a gap in the market. At the time, most dolls were babies or toddlers; none looked like adults. On a 1956 trip to Europe with Barbara and her son Kenneth, she came across the German Bild Lilli doll. Handler said she saw it in Lucerne, though she also mentioned Zürich or Vienna at other times. The adult-shaped doll was exactly what she had in mind. She bought three, gave one to her daughter, and brought the others back to Mattel. The Lilli doll was based on a comic strip character and had been sold in Germany since 1955, initially for adults but later popular with children. Back in the U.S., Handler redesigned the doll with help from inventor Jack Ryan. She named it "Barbie" after her daughter and said Barbie was from Willows, Wisconsin. The doll
- born
- November 4, 1916, Denver, Colorado
- died
- April 27, 2002, California
- field
- Business, invention
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Inventing the Barbie doll; co-founder and first president of Mattel
Lore & Background
Ruth Handler was born in Denver, Colorado, to Polish-Jewish immigrants. She was the youngest of ten children and spent much of her early life living with an older sister, developing an interest in business at her sister's drugstore. After marrying art student Izzy Handler in 1938, she encouraged him to use his middle name, Elliot, and the couple moved to California, where Ruth worked at Paramount Studio and Elliot as a lighting fixture designer.
Elliot began making furniture from Lucite and Plexiglas, and at Ruth's suggestion they started a furniture business. With executive Harold 'Matt' Matson, they formed Mattel, a name combining 'Matson' and 'Elliot.' When sales fell during World War II, the company shifted to toy furniture and then to toy manufacturing. Observing her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls, Ruth saw a market for adult-figured dolls. During a 1956 trip to Europe, she encountered the German Bild Lilli doll, which she redesigned with inventor Jack Ryan. The first Barbie doll debuted on March 9, 1959, at the American International Toy Fair, selling 300,000 units in its first year.
Handler was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1970 and underwent a modified radical mastectomy. After leaving Mattel in 1975 following a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into falsified financial documents, she founded Ruthton Corp. to manufacture a realistic breast prosthesis called Nearly Me. She was charged with fraud and false reporting, pleaded no contest, and was fined $57,000 and sentenced to 2,500 hours of community service. She died in 2002 from complications during colon cancer surgery.
Reader's Guide
Ruth Handler's significance lies in her creation of the Barbie doll, which filled a market void for adult-figured dolls and became a cultural icon representing versatility and fashion. As co-founder and first president of Mattel, she helped build one of the world's largest toy companies. Her later work with breast prostheses addressed a personal and widespread need after her own mastectomy. Handler's legacy was revived in the 2023 film Barbie, which portrayed her as a guiding figure and sparked renewed media coverage. Despite her business achievements, her career was marred by the SEC investigation and her resignation from Mattel. Her story illustrates both entrepreneurial innovation and the challenges of corporate accountability.
Did You Know?
- Handler named the Barbie doll after her daughter, Barbara.
- The first Barbie doll cost $3 and sold 300,000 units in its first year.
- After a mastectomy, Handler invented a realistic breast prosthesis called Nearly Me.
- Handler was charged with fraud and false reporting by the SEC and sentenced to 2,500 hours of community service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ruth Handler?
Ruth Handler (born Ruth Marianna Mosko in 1916 in Denver, Colorado) was an American businesswoman and inventor best known for creating the Barbie doll and for co-founding the toy company Mattel with her husband Elliot.
What is Ruth Handler most famous for?
She is widely recognized for inventing the Barbie doll in 1959 and for building Mattel into a major toy company as its co-founder.
What leadership role did Ruth Handler hold at Mattel?
Handler served as Mattel's first president, a position she held from 1945 until 1975.
Where and when was Ruth Handler born and when did she pass away?
She was born on November 4, 1916, in Denver, Colorado, to Polish-Jewish immigrant parents, and died on April 27, 2002, in California.
How did Ruth Handler's childhood influence her path into business?
As the youngest of ten children, she was placed with her older sister Sarah at six months old and remained there until age 19; it was while working at Sarah's drugstore and soda fountain that she first developed a keen interest in how business operations functioned.
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