Ruth Handler

By Miles Mclay

  • Birth

    Birth
    Ruth Handler's maiden name is Ruth Marianna Mosko, she was the daughter of Jacob Moskowicz and Ida Moskowicz.

  • Married

    Married
    She was married to "Izzy" Elliot Handler, they had two children, Barbra Handler and Kenneth Handler.

  • Founded Mattel

    Founded Mattel
    Mattel was named after a friend that Ruth and Elliot had founded the company with, Matt. They had agreed to combine Elliot and Matt's names for the name of the company.
  • Period: to

    Ran Mattel

    She was the company's first president.

  • Found inspiration for Barbie

    Found inspiration for Barbie
    Found a doll, Bild Lilli, in Germany to base Barbie off of, she bought three, gave one to her daughter and took two to Mattel.

  • First Barbie Doll

    First Barbie Doll
    The first Barbie doll Ruth created, named after her daughter, Barbra Handler.

  • First Ken Doll

    First Ken Doll
    First Ken doll sold. Ken was named after Ruth's son, Kenneth Handler.

  • Diagnosed with Cancer

    Diagnosed with Cancer
    Ruth was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1970, she went on to make her own implants.

  • Fraud

    Fraud
    Ruth had been charged with fraud and false reporting to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. She did not defend herself in court and was fined $57,000 and sentenced to 2,500 hours of community service.

  • Death

    Death
    Ruth Handler was 85 when she died due to complications with a surgery for colon cancer.