In 1974 the Handlers were fo… This includes data values and the controlled vocabularies that house them. She was 85. Ruth Handler, 85, the entrepreneur and marketing genius who co-founded Mattel and created the Barbie doll, one of the world's most enduring and popular toys, died April 27 at a hospital here. She died on April 27, 2002, at the age of 85. Ruth Handler was the mastermind behind the creation, marketing, and sales of the Barbie doll, first sold in 1959. Mrs. Handler, though, had already embarked on a second career, starting a company that made prosthetic breasts for cancer survivors. Herself a breast cancer survivor, she personally sold and fitted the prosthesis and, in the 1970s, crisscrossed the country as a spokeswoman for early detection of the disease when it was still a taboo subject. view all Kenneth Robert Handler's Timeline. Ruth Handler biography. Ruth Handler watched her daughter Barbara at play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. Have … Handler developed colon cancer in her 80s. When her husband made some simple housewares to furnish their apartment, Mrs. Handler persuaded him to produce more for sale. Barbie's male counterpart, Ken, named after Mrs. Handler's son, soon followed. Ruth Handler, the entrepreneur and marketing genius who co-founded Mattel and created the Barbie doll, one of the world's most enduring and popular toys, died Saturday. Ruth Moskowicz was born into a family of Russian Jewish immigrants in Denver, Colorado in 1916. In 1978, Mrs. Handler was indicted on charges of fraud and false reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission. She was the founder and president of the world's largest toy company, which at its peak had 18,000 employees and annual sales of over $300 million. Discover the real story, facts, and details of Ruth Handler. American Business Professional Ruth Handler was born on 4th November, 1916 in Denver, Colorado, USA and passed away on 27th Apr 2002 Los Angeles, CA aged 85. 19/09/2020. About. See the article in its original context from. Noting their daughter Barbara's fascination with paper dolls of teenagers and career women, Mrs. Handler realized that there was a void in the market. ''Until now,'' she said in 1977, ''every breast that was sold was used interchangeably for the right or the left side. A chief objection of feminists, including the National Organization for Women, was that Barbie's figure created unrealistic expectations for young girls that could lead to low self-esteem. Ruth Handler (November 4, 1916 – April 27, 2002) was an American businesswoman, born to Jewish-Polish immigrants Jacob and Ida Moskowicz, the president of the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc., and is remembered primarily for her role in marketing the Barbie doll. When she was 19, she left Denver for a vacation in Hollywood and wound up staying. After developing a line of artificial breasts made of foam and silicon that she called ''Nearly Me,'' she became a well-traveled advocate for early detection of breast cancer, at a time when there was little public discussion of the disease. '', She was found to have breast cancer in 1970 and had her left breast removed. Within a few years, the company turned profitable and began to specialize in toys. Inspired by her daughter's fascination with paper dolls that looked like teenagers or adults and came with multiple outfits and accessories, Mrs. Handler decided to produce a doll that she described as looking more or less like a real teenager. Spouse:Elliot Handler . Her high school boyfriend, Elliot Handler, followed her west, and they married in 1938. Trivia. Ruth Handler - Biography . How tall is Ruth Handler – 1,82m. Handler was survived by her husband, who died on July 21, 2011. Children:Kenneth Handler . If Barbie was 5 feet 6 inches tall instead of 11 1/2 inches tall, her measurements would be 39-21-33. Jean was a member of the Macon United Methodist Church in Macon, MI and the United Methodist Women. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Explore Ruth Handler's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. Ruth Handler Birthday and Date of Death. She was married to Elliot Handler from 1938 until her death in 2002, and her kids were named Kenneth and Barbara Handler. Ruthton Corp. was the result of the humiliation she had experienced when she sought to restore her appearance to its pre-mastectomy state. '', Barbie was conceived as a teenage fashion model, and her first outfits were named for her various activities, according to M. G. Lord, author of ''Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll.'' The Linked Data Service provides access to commonly found standards and vocabularies promulgated by the Library of Congress. Ruth Handler died April 27, 2002 from complications related to colon cancer surgery. She was inspired to name Barbie after her daughter Barbara. She is survived by her husband of 63 years; a daughter, Barbara Segal of Los Angeles; a brother, Aaron Mosko of Denver; five grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. She was a writer, ... (26 June 1938 - 27 April 2002) ( her death) ( 2 children) Trivia (16) Children: Barbara and Ken. Then came financial hardship for the young couple, living in California with two childr… Ruth Handler Popularity . One academic expert calculated that a woman's chances of having Barbie's figure were less than 1 in 100,000. Death date: 2002-04-27 . Her career started in 1940s with the founding of Elzac, and she co-founded several other companies before her death in 2002. Her marketing tactics included talk-show appearances and handwritten invitations to breast cancer patients. Associated With. She died of complications from colon surgery she had undergone three months ago. Ruth Handler (November 4, 1916–April 27, ... Death . In 1942, they teamed with another industrial designer, Harold "Matt" Mattson, to launch a business manufacturing picture frames. Ruth Handler, creator of Barbie Doll, dies at age 85; pioneering creation in 1959 became one of world's best-selling toys and transformed sleepy … Ruth Marianna Handler (née Mosko; November 4, 1916 – April 27, 2002) was an American businesswoman and inventor. Ruth lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217, USA. During Camelot, she sported a Jacqueline Kennedy hairdo. This doll, she mused, would have to be lifelike. Ruth Handler, Whose Barbie Gave Dolls Curves, Dies at 85. She served as the president of the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc., In 1959 she invented the Barbie doll, which sold over a billion copies worldwide. She is most remembered for Creator of Barbie. Thirty years later, more than 800 million dolls in the Barbie family had been sold by Mattel, the company founded by Ruth Handler and her husband Elliot. And Barbie's fly-off-the-shelf popularity transformed the sleepy company that sold the doll, Mattel Inc., into a postwar success story. Her mother was an illiterate woman who arrived in the United States in the steerage section of a steamship. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.''. So I gave it beautiful breasts. The doll she created resembled a sex toy called Lilli, which Mrs. Handler had seen on a trip to Germany. Long After Mrs. Handler left Mattel and turned away from toys, Barbie remained wildly popular, not only as a toy, but as a touchstone of American culture. Handler, Ruth (1916-) Mattel, Inc. Overview. Ruth Handler information. ''Every little girl needed a doll through which to project herself into her dream of her future,'' Mrs. Handler said in a 1977 interview with The New York Times. Although best known for her pivotal role as Barbie's inventor, Mrs. Handler devoted her later years to a second, trailblazing career: manufacturing and marketing artificial breasts for mastectomy patients. There has never been a shoemaker who made one shoe and forced you to put both your right and your left foot in it.''. She ran the breast prosthesis company, Ruthton Corporation, for 15 years, fitting women, including Betty Ford, for the artificial breasts herself, before selling it to a division of Kimberly-Clark, her husband said. It was called Mattel, a name fashioned from the "Matt" in Mattson and the "El" in Elliot. Survivors include her husband of 63 years; her daughter, Barbara; a brother; five grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. The Ken doll was named after Handler's son and was introduced two years after Barbie debuted. New corporate managers began to diversify Mattel away from toys, and in 1975 their machinations resulted in the Handlers' ousting from the company they had founded. The youngest of 10 children of Polish immigrants, Ruth Mosko was the daughter of a blacksmith who had settled in Denver. She fit former first lady Betty Ford after her mastectomy. President of Mattel Inc. She was best remembered for her part in the creation of the Barbie brand. Other dolls were named for Mrs. Handler's grandchildren, including Stacie, Todd and Cheryl. Mrs. Handler's son, Ken, died of a brain tumor in 1994. Baby dolls only became popular in the late 19th century, and their command of the market ended after the 1959 American Toy Fair, when Ruth Handler, who has died aged 85, exhibited a … Desktop notifications are on   | Turn off, Get breaking news alerts from The Washington Post. Her first bestseller was the Uke-a-doodle toy ukelele. Early outfits included ''Friday Night Date'' and ''Sorority Meeting. An expert once calculated that a woman's likelihood of being shaped like Barbie was less than 1 in 100,000. Ruth Louise Handler in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Sep 6 1997 Pennsylvania Newspapers, 1795-2009 "... died 3 Jobe Funeral Home. Known For:Handler founded the toy company Mattel and invented the Barbie doll. She was employed at Boysville in Macon for 25 years … And in 1959, wearing a zebra-striped maillot and tall stiletto heels, Barbie made her debut at the American Toy Fair in New York. In 1991, Handler sold the company to a division of Kimberly-Clark Corp. Mrs. Handler showed the product line to local stores, and within a few years, sales reached $2 million. Who is she dating right now? In talking about her two careers, Mrs. Handler was known to say, ''I've lived my life from breast to breast. Handler created one of the world's most successful toy companies, Mattel. Creator of the Barbie doll. Ruth passed away on September 4 1997, at age 77. Doctors diagnosed breast cancer, and she underwent a mastectomy. Before Fame. name = Ruth Handler caption = birth_name = Ruth Mosko Handler birth_date = November 4, 1916 birth_place = Denver, Colorado, USA death_date = April 27, 2002 (age 85) death_place = Los Angeles, California, USA death_cause = Complications of surgery for colon cancer employer = Mattel, Inc. occupation = Entrepreneur, inventor, President of Mattel, Inc. In 1978 Mrs. Handler and several other former officers of Mattel were indicted on charges of fraud and false reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission. During the civil rights movement, Mattel created Barbie's first black friend, ''Colored Francie.''. 6377504, citing Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave . Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. ''It really didn't bother her,'' he said. Why not sell a doll that allowed girls, as she would later say, to "dream dreams of the future"? The Ken doll was named after Handler's son and was introduced two years after Barbie debuted. Her father was a blacksmith who deserted the Russian army. Ruth Handler was born on November 4, 1916 and died on April 27, 2002. She was 85. She said it was impossible to find an acceptable replacement breast. Ruth Handler, creator of the Barbie doll, one of the world's best-selling toys and one that became an icon of American popular culture, an artistic muse and a lightning rod of feminist politics, died on Saturday at a hospital in Los Angeles, where she lived. : April 27, 2002 ).. About, due largely to Barbie Mattel 1945. Her kids were named Kenneth and Barbara Handler Pennsylvania 15217, USA and Barbara Handler gave dolls Curves Dies! 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