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March 24, 2021

She’s Made of Plastic, It’s Fantastic! How Barbie’s Maker Used “Imagination For Her Creation”

I’m a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world! For many children, the “Barbie world” has provided an outlet to act out and play on their dreams of growing up. With her fabulous outfit changes, wide-ranging career opportunities, and iconic merchandise, the Barbie doll was and continues to be a memorable aspect of childhood, a product of imagination, and an influencer of the way a nation of girls has come to see themselves. Though the world knows Barbie as her own person, a lot of her personality can be viewed as a reflection of the woman who birthed her, Ruth Handler.

Handler was born on November 4, 1916, in Denver, Colorado into a family full of hard-working and supportive businesspeople. As a child, Handler didn’t like dolls and never played with them. In fact, she was a self-proclaimed tomboy who preferred working over playing. In fact, Barbie’s iconic resume of diverse professions can be viewed as a reflection of Ruth’s early-set enthusiasm for job opportunities. Handler was always picking up and enjoying jobs, ranging from working as a cashier at a pharmacy when she was ten years old, to working at a family luncheonette, and even temporarily managing it. When recalling her early entrepreneur days, Handler stated, “I don’t know what was driving me, but I needed to prove myself from the day I was born.”1

Later on, Ruth married an aspiring artist by the name of Isidore Handler, whom she referred to by his middle name, “Elliot.” Together, they moved to Los Angeles, California, where Ruth worked at Paramount and Elliot at the Beranek and Erwin Lighting Fixture Company. With Elliot’s artistic talent and Ruth’s natural salesmanship, the two were able to launch a successful business. Soon after the beginning of this partnership, Ruth became pregnant with their first child, Barbara Joyce Handler, and three years later with her second, Kenneth Robert, also known as Ken. Although she loved her children dearly and enjoyed spending time with them at home, she “missed the fast-paced business world.” For women in the 1940’s, the combination of being a full-time worker, mother, and wife was uncommon. Ruth Handler was ahead of her time.2

Together, Ruth and Elliot, along with an old coworker of Elliot’s named Harold “Matt” Matson, launched the business named Mattel. Their company faced several obstacles, including increased demand from the company that caused Ruth to devote more of herself to the company, thereby driving Harold away. Through the investment of Ruth’s brother-in-law, Mattel was able to grow, and by 1952, the company had employed seven hundred office and factory workers. One of their first toys, the “Burp Gun,” which was based on the Mickey Mouse Club show, was introduced at Toy Fair, an event for companies to launch their products to store buyers, where it was loved and purchased in large orders. Unfortunately, the show didn’t air until later in the year, meaning the consumers didn’t know anything about the toy, and thus it resulted in cancelled orders and hardly any sales for Mattel. Once the show aired, however, the “Burp Gun” was a huge success—even President Dwight Eisenhower’s grandson received one!3 This hit toy proved that marketing to kids, rather than to store buyers, was a smart move to make, and it paved the way for the next toy that would aim to appeal to young girls.4

Elliot was usually the one in charge of designing the toys, but Ruth had developed a design of her own this time. As she raised her kids, she paid attention to her daughter, Barbara’s, playtime and noticed that she and her friends quickly became bored and uninterested by the baby dolls that were the available toys for girls in the 1950s. Because of the societal ideals for women during this time, these dolls were either made for young girls to practice being “Mommy” and nurture them as if they were their own babies, or they were “glamour” dolls which guided girls to buy and learn how to use beauty products. Ruth noticed that her daughter Barbara and her friends preferred to play with adult paper dolls, despite the frustrating fragility of the material.5 In an interview, Ruth explained these observations. “They would sit and carry on conversations, making the dolls real people. I used to watch that over and over and think: if only we could take this play pattern and three-dimensionalize it, we would have something very special.”6

The Bild Lilli doll was a German sex toy, as well as the inspiration for Barbie’s appearance | Courtesy of Flickr Images

Ruth’s design for the doll was very much influenced by the ideals of women and beauty during the 1950s, especially with standards set by movie stars and pinup girls. Ruth wanted her doll to be pretty enough for girls to aspire to look like her when they grew up, as the doll would embody what the girls would like for themselves. The doll she used for inspiration was the “Bild-Lilli” doll, which was a risqué novelty gift for men—a much different target audience than the one Ruth had in mind. Ruth was insistent on creating her doll with similar features, despite her husband’s protests that “no mother is going to buy her daughter a doll with breasts.” The rest of the all-male team agreed with him, saying that the doll Ruth envisioned was too curvy, sexual, and expensive.7 Even still, Ruth wanted this doll to represent everything a girl could aspire to be as a teenager, and argued that “a little girl could dream dreams of growing up and every grown-up she saw had breasts!”8

As a businesswoman herself, frustrated with the idea of staying home and being a housewife all day, Ruth wanted to design the doll in a way that would get girls to aspire to have duties that went beyond the kitchen. One of the ways in which the doll would achieve this was through her clothing and accessories. Her outfits featured in stores would not only follow the fashion trends seen on both celebrities and on the general public, but also would be made in accordance with her varying professions, such as a pink doctor’s coat or a navy blue police officer’s uniform.9 Author of Forever Barbie, M.G. Lord, said it best, “Barbie was her own woman. She could invent herself with a costume change.”10 The goal was for little girls to fashion and model her to their hearts content, and to know her as her own person, as well as a person they could aspire to be like someday.

The first Barbie debuted on March 9, 1959 | Courtesy of Flickr images

With the messages of glamor and opportunity encompassing each plastic doll, Ruth felt sure that her toy would be a success. This doll was her dream. At the Toy Fair, Mattel introduced the doll as “Barbie Teenage Fashion Model” in order to decrease the attention of her sexuality and increase the message to parents that Barbie would serve to inspire young girls to be well-groomed. This wasn’t enough. The doll was hated! Interviewed parents were disturbed by Barbie’s figure, buyers were concerned over her breasts and sex appeal, and toy industry competitors were shocked that another company would try to sell “whore-looking dolls.” Even Lou Kieso, the representative buyer for Sears, who could heavily influence Barbie sales, was unimpressed and refused to take a sample back to the Sears headquarters, as did a majority of the other buyers. Ruth was devastated. She cut the entire production by nearly half and spent the next few months worrying about what would become of her creation, of whether it would disappear before even having the chance to be introduced to the public.11

But then, everything changed. Once the television commercials aired, school ended for the summer, and kids started seeing the doll on the shelves of the stores, Mattel started getting calls from buyers who wanted to buy the Barbie doll. Ruth recalled that “the industry was just going frantic with demand for Barbie.” It was like the “Burp Gun” all over again. The public fell in love with Barbie, and Ruth’s dream for the doll to allow girls to impose their dreams and their own realities onto the dolls, that girls would view Barbie as themselves rather than someone to nurture, was coming true.12

Taken in 2012 at a Target in North Carolina, Barbie merchandise is still popular and widely sold | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Barbie has become one of the best-selling toys in history, as well as the best-selling doll in the world. She brought in sales that reached in the billions, and her six-letter name would receive recognition around the world. That being said, Ruth didn’t just create a money machine. By birthing Barbie, Handler also created a controversial icon that would spark heated debates later on. For Ruth, as well as for many others in the world, Barbie was not simply a symbol of beauty, but rather, her purpose was to provide the opportunity for girls to define what it means to be feminine in their own way.13 However, arguments have and continue to be made over Barbie’s unrealistic body proportions, her exclusion of people who look different than white, thin, able-bodied women, as well as whether her emphasis on fashion overshadows the actual career she’s dressing as—implying that women care more about how they dress for their job than actually working. The Barbie doll has become the subject of conversations regarding important societal issues, such as gender roles, feminism, and body image.14

Hearing the voices of movements, critics, and fans, Mattel has been continuously attempting to make Barbie dolls more diverse and inclusive, whether that’s making Barbies with features of different races or creating Barbies of ranging body types.15 Though there will always be improvements that can be made, Ruth’s vision for young people to aspire to be both opportunistic and feminine, both hard-working and glamorous, lives on through her successful and iconic Barbie doll.

More Barbie dolls are being made that are inclusive of all skin tones | Courtesy of Pixabay
  1. Tanya Lee Stone, The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: a Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us (New York: Penguin Group, 2015), 9-12.
  2.  Tanya Lee Stone, The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: a Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us (New York: Penguin Group, 2015), 15-17.
  3. Robin Gerber, Barbie and Ruth: the Story of the World’s Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2009), 98-99.
  4. Tanya Lee Stone, The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: a Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us (New York: Penguin Group, 2015), 18-22.
  5. Tanya Lee Stone, The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: a Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us (New York: Penguin Group, 2015), 23-24.
  6. Ruth Handler (Inventor of ‘Barbie’) R.I.P., video file, 11:23, YouTube, posted by MyTalkShowHeroes, July 19, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cleZIXu4PXM.
  7. Robin Gerber, Barbie and Ruth: the Story of the World’s Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2009), 7-8.
  8. Ruth Handler (Inventor of ‘Barbie’) R.I.P., video file, 11:23, YouTube, posted by MyTalkShowHeroes, July 19, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cleZIXu4PXM.
  9. Tanya Lee Stone, The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: a Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us (New York: Penguin Group, 2015), 33-45.
  10. M. G. Lord, Forever Barbie: the Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll (New Brunswick: Goose Lane Editions, 2004), 9.
  11.  Robin Gerber, Barbie and Ruth: the Story of the World’s Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2009), 17-19.
  12.  Robin Gerber, Barbie and Ruth: the Story of the World’s Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her(New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2009), 110-111.
  13. Tanya Lee Stone, The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: a Doll’s History and Her Impact on Us (New York: Penguin Group, 2015), 44-45.
  14.  Robin Gerber, Barbie and Ruth: the Story of the World’s Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2009), 111-112.
  15. Maria Cramer, “After All These Years, Barbie Is Still Reinventing Herself,” The New York Times, Jan 29, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/29/business/mattel-barbie-dolls-vitiligo.html.

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Eva Lizarraga

I am a student at Saint Mary’s University, Class of 2024, majoring in Communication Studies and minoring in Sociology. I've grown up in San Antonio, and I love taking part in my community through voluntary or organizational programs. I find great value in serving others and building connections with them. In my free time, I enjoy reading, exploring, and spending quality time with other people.

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58 comments

  • Kensley Dieckow

    I didn’t know that the Barbie doll wasn’t the first toy made by Mattel. Its interesting that the “Burp Gun” was their first successful toy and that it did so much better in selling than the Barbie did considering its popularity now. I like how you mention all of the concerns that people had regarding Barbies sexualized body at the time and why it struggled to to become popular in the beginning. I also enjoyed how you brought up all of the controversies concerning barbie in todays society. When I was little I wanted to look just like my barbie dolls and when I realized that’s not how the majority of people are built I was devastated. Mattels coming a long way with inclusivity and I can’t wait to see how they keep growing.

  • Kimberly Rivera

    Barbie has and will always be my favorite doll ever. Barbie has proven countless times that it can move forwards with the changing world, society and its large and proud diversity of women. Not only that but its great to see a doll who is not only the representation of beauty in a women and fashion but how any women can do any job if they put their mind into it. This article has open my eyes to an inspiring story of Ruth and Barbie and how any little girl can be who they want and dream bigger.

  • Marian Reyes

    The way you told the story of Ruth Handler was amazing; I had no idea that the women behind Barbietm was an entrepreneur of her level. Given the times, it makes it even more impressive especially her desire to inspire girls to work. It is incredible that Ruth managed to convey so much with one doll and many accessories, reflecting both her origins and her ambition to be in the business world.

  • Jacy Hornsby

    I can remember growing up playing with barbies and how all the barbies were the same size and body type. I think at the time I didn’t notice, but subconsciously it definitely tells kids what to strive for and what is considered acceptable. The creator of barbie herself said she wanted a doll young girls could strive to be and look up to. I am glad that barbie is representing their audience more accurately.

  • Sherisa Orozco

    This article was fantastic to read. I was never a big fan of Barbie dolls as a child, but I did have a lot of her movies and enjoyed seeing a powerful and feisty woman on-screen doing whatever she could to help her country. That was interesting to learn about the origins of one of the most excellent childhood toys. It is really exciting in seeing Barbie evolve into a more celebrity figure. Great Article!

  • Edgardo Llosa

    This was a really interesting article even though I am not a fanatic of dolls I was engaged with the process of how they use different day-to-day interactions to be able to build the doll the best was possible. I also believe that these dolls are each time more inclusive and are starting to grow a part of the “perfect girl” stereotype.

  • Julia Aleman

    Barbie’s will always be a special part of my childhood that I will never forget. Once I read the title and saw the image, I knew I had to read this article. The creator of the doll was very smart to take the interests of her own child and make something that the daughter and the friends would’ve loved. Not only was she a great stay at home, mom but she impacted children’s playtime all over the world.

  • Robert Colwell

    I remember watching a documentary about how certain childhood toys were created, but one really interesting toy they forgot to discuss, as you just proved, was the Barbie Doll. The Barbie brand has a really interesting history and it is really cool to see how much more diverse the company has become and where it has gone since it’s beginnings.

  • Grace Frey

    As a former child, I loved playing with Barbies. As an adult, I remember how limited the representation of dolls were fifteen years ago and marvel at the wide representation that they have today. This article, however, provided me with positive information over the creation of the Barbie enterprise. Up until now, I wasn’t aware of the positive motivation behind the idea of Barbie. Overall, this article was as great as a read as it was informative.

  • Andrea Laguna

    Simply fascinating! I really loved how you structured your article and the word choice. It was interesting from the beginning to the end. I remember having multiple Barbie dolls when I was young and playing with them with a bunch of different scenarios. I really enjoyed reading about how Ruth’s idea for creating this doll was breaking every women stereotype and give young girls the freedom to imagine themselves as anything they wish to be. Great job!

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