Ruth Handler: How the Barbie Doll Encouraged Young Girls to Think Beyond Society’s Norms
- Ingrid Guo
- Feb 5, 2021
- 2 min read
Author: Natalie Moore '24
Ruth Handler, the co-founder of the billion-dollar toy company Mattel, pushed against cultural norms to create a toy doll to inspire young girls. Mattel was founded in 1945 by the couple, Elliot and Ruth Handler, creating dollhouse furniture and picture frames. In 1956, the Handlers went on vacation to Switzerland where Ruth discovered the Lilli Doll, a chic and modern 3D toy. Ruth’s young daughter Barbara often played with paper dolls, but nothing near as elegant as the Lilli Doll. Mesmerized by it, Ruth had the idea of creating a similar multipurpose 3D doll for young girls.
As Ruth’s idea turned more into a reality, the board of Mattel refused to listen to her ideas as a woman, despite her being the co-founder. Even though the board argued that toy dolls never did well, Ruth followed her vision and created the doll, naming it Barbie after her daughter. In order for Barbie to get its name out in public, Ruth had to come up with multiple marketing ideas, including a television commercial that earned publicity and helped sell 350,000 dolls in the first year.
As time went on and fashion styles changed, Ruth had to make sure the Barbie’s outfits and accessories were trendy and fit for the time in order to catch little girls' eyes. In the 1950s, eyeliner was extremely popular. Ruth created a doll to fit the look of the era which helped increase the public’s interest. In the 1980s, the Malibu Barbie, arguably Mattel’s most popular Barbie, was created with long, flowy blonde hair and a pink bathing suit. Mattel and Barbies grew tremendously year by year, creating a multi-million dollar company due to Ruth Handler. Since 1950, the Barbie has had over 130 careers, from an astronaut, teacher, model, and even a doctor. Barbie and its many different jobs encouraged girls to find their passion regardless of what was considered “acceptable” at the time.
Despite being a woman in the 1940s, Ruth Handler was able to lead Mattel to billions of dollars by her intelligent marketing ideas and smart thinking. Even facing an intimidating board of powerful men who were against her ideas at the beginning of the process, she was able to trust herself and her vision of Barbie. Being told no multiple times didn’t stop Ruth from making her vision into a reality and marketing it mostly by herself. By differentiating from the usual stay-at-home, kitchen-cleaning doll, Ruth Handler and Barbie inspired young girls to think beyond society’s norms.
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