WHO INVENTED BARBIE

RUTH HANDLER

The world famous Barbie doll was invented by Elliot Handler and his wife Ruth Handler. Barbie is a small plastic doll with a tiny waist, slender hips and impressive bust. It was created in 1959. The moment it went on the market the epidemic Barbie, Barbie broke lose.

The Handlers started in 1945 in their garage with their friends Harold Matson. They created the name Mattel from combining the names Matson and Elliot. By right it should have been Matel but somehow it became Mattel,

They first started to make picture frames and then dolls' house furniture and miniature music boxes. They never dreamed Mattel would be such a success.

A Uke-A-Doodle which was a ukulele sized down for a child to play and a Burp Gun were their first successes.

Ruth Handler suggested they should make a plastic doll like matured woman but her husband disagreed and suggested baby toys. He told her several times that no mother would buy a doll with a breast for her daughter. However, Ruth watched her daughter playing with paper dolls giving them adult roles. She was convinced an adult looking doll would be a commercial success.

Elliot Handler having still reservation but launched Barbie at the New York toy fair in 1959. They named the doll Barbie after they daughter Barbara. Barbie's boy toy Ken was named after their son and was launched two years later. Barbie and Ken were born.

The two plastic dolls were an instant success and Mattel annual sales were $100million by 1965. In no time every toy shop in the country and worldwide stocked them. Then they brought out more dolls which were named after their grandchildren.

Since Barbie and Ken became an icon, Handlers wanted to bring out toys for the boys. He introduced die-cast vehicles with speed, style, power and performance.

ELLIOT HANDLER

In 1968 Hot Wheels was born and ever since 10,000 different models were produced and found in every toy shop. Mattel estimates that about 41 million children have grown up with Hot Wheels models.

Handlers received an invitation to be co-chairmen at the Mattel's board in 1973. However, after a change of management at Mattel toys the atmosphere changed also and not for the better. They left in 1975. Handlers are the first people to be introduced into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 1989 while still alive.

Elliot Handler was born on 9 April 1916 in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Denver, Colorado. He was the second of four brothers. He met Ruth when he was 17 years old in 1932. They married six years later. Elliot went to the old Art Centre School in Los Angeles to study industrial design. Ruth was working as a secretary at Paramount Studio.

One of his brothers, Sid, stated later that Elliot loved designing new cars. He revealed further that Elliot loved the designing part of the business and Ruth the commercial side.

Elliot Handler died on 21 July, 2011 at the age of 95 years old. His brother Sid said that Elliot was a quiet, kind man and he thinks that is why he liked toys because they make people happy.

Elliot and Ruth Handler experienced a great tragedy. In 1994 they lost their son Ken to a brain tumour. Ruth died eight years later. After that, Elliot, was living a quiet live. He loved painting and a rented studio.

His daughter named the cause of his death as heart failure.

SUMMARY

A story of two people who started their business in their garage and rose to enormous fame and fortune with their Barbie, Ken and Hot Wheels. Toys known to everyone and every toy shop will stock them. There is also a website www.barbie.com which gives more information. However, even with their enormous wealth they could not avoid heartbreak and tragedy when they lost their son, Ken, in their later years.

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