Everything you need to know about Ruth Handler, the lady behind Barbie the doll and inspiration for Barbie the film

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has been a success story for the makers if box-office is to be believed. Despite the much-publicized clash with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, it has raked in the moolah. The film is not only a fluffy take on a doll’s journey from an imaginary world to a real one, but also a polarising commentary on patriarchy and feminism.

There’s a scene in the film where the central character played by Margot Robbie is trying to escape from the Mattel office and enters a room with an old lady waiting for her. The same lady enters the scene in the climax and reveals herself to be the creator of the Barbie dolls. She also asks Robbie if she’d like to be a human. She’s none other than Ruth Handler; and here’s everything you need to know about her and the legacy she created for herself.

Early Life

She married her boyfriend from high school, Elliot Handler in 1938 and they both went on a vacation to Chicago never to come back. The couple gave the world a present in the form of the Barbie in the year 1959.

The inspiration behind Barbie

They say it was Ruth’s daughter Barbara that inspired her to make Barbie dolls when she saw her one day playing with paper dolls. The first doll was named Barbie Teen-Age Fashion Model in 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York City. It wore a black and white bathing costume with black heels. It cost $ 3. Over 35,000 dolls were sold in the year 1959 itself.

Cancer and ousting from the company

Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer but recovered. In 1975, she was out of Mattel and this is how she was quoted by a newspaper, “I’d been opinionated and outspoken. I had strong leadership skills. I had been running a company making hundreds of millions of dollars a year. We had 15,000 employees. I had a big job. But suddenly I was supposed to whisper about what I had been through.”

Why Amy Schumer rejected the role of Barbie?

She expressed her regret and asserted, “The film has so much promise, and Sony and Mattel have been great partners. I’m bummed, but look forward to seeing Barbie on the big screen.” Sony replied to Amy through their spokesperson & stated, “We respect and support Amy’s decision. We look forward to bringing Barbie to the world and sharing updates on casting and filmmakers soon.”