Ruth Handler

Hello. My name is Ruth Handler. I was born a long time ago, on November 4th, 1916. I grew up in a very big family, so there were always people around. Even when I was a little girl, my mind was always buzzing with ideas. I loved dreaming up new things and imagining all the wonderful possibilities the world held. I didn't just see things for what they were; I saw what they could become. This way of thinking was something special that I carried with me my whole life, and it helped me create something that children all over the world would come to love.

One day, I was watching my daughter, Barbara, play. She and her friends had paper dolls, and I noticed something interesting. They weren't pretending the dolls were babies or children. Instead, they imagined the dolls were grown-ups with important jobs. They would pretend the paper dolls were college students or librarians. This sparked a big idea in my head. I thought, what if there was a doll that looked like a grown-up? With a doll like that, girls could dream about their own futures and imagine all the amazing things they could become when they grew up.

I was so excited about my idea. I had a wonderful husband named Elliot, and together with our good friend, Harold Matson, we decided to start our own company. In 1945, we started our business in a small garage. We called our company Mattel. I couldn't wait to tell them my idea for a grown-up doll. But when I did, the men in my company didn't think it was a good idea. They told me they didn't think anyone would buy it. I felt a little disappointed, but deep down, I knew my idea was special. I said to myself, 'I won't give up.'.

I kept believing in my idea, and finally, I was able to make it happen. I designed a beautiful doll that looked like a young adult. I decided to name her 'Barbie,' which was a special nickname for my daughter, Barbara. On March 9th, 1959, we showed her to the world for the very first time at a big toy fair in New York City. At first, not everyone was sure about her, but soon, girls everywhere wanted a Barbie doll. A little later, I thought Barbie should have a friend, so I created a boy doll. I named him Ken, after my son.

I lived to be 85 years old, and I had a very full and happy life. My biggest joy was creating a toy that let children know they could be anything they wanted to be. With Barbie, a child could pretend to be an astronaut, a doctor, a pilot, or a president. I wanted every child to know that their dreams were important and that they could achieve anything they could imagine.