Ruth Handler, the woman who created the Barbie doll, died on Saturday of complications from surgery. Handler launched Barbie in 1959, at a time when dolls were babies, not women. Handler got the idea for an adult fashion doll while watching her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls.
In 1945, Ruth and her husband Elliot Handler started Mattel Creations, a small business enterprise in Hawthorne, California, and headquartered in their garage. They made picture frames, which Elliot made and Ruth sold. Elliot soon developed a side business in dollhouse furniture made from picture-frame scraps. This led the company to focus on toys. Ruth Handler’s outstanding marketing skills complemented her husband’s product development talents, and the company made money its first year.
Ruth Handler played an integral role in the success of Mattel. From 1948 to 1967, she served as Executive Vice President, and in 1967, she became the company’s President. In 1973 she was named Chairman of the Board, along with her husband. During those years, the Handlers steadily expanded the company and its product line until Mattel Inc. grew to become one of the largest toy companies in the world.
The Barbie doll has remained popular for over 40 years, and more than one billion Barbies have been sold in 150 countries.
