All About Ruth Handler's Daughter and Son, After Whom Barbie and Ken Were Named
Ruth and her husband Elliot, who she founded Mattel with, had two children together: Barbara and Kenneth
Chesnot/Getty
When Ruth Handler created Barbie and Ken, she named them after two special people in her life: her kids.
Ruth and her husband Elliot Handler, with whom she founded Mattel, were the parents of two children, a daughter named Barbara and a son named Kenneth.
Ruth and Elliot were actually high school sweethearts before they married in 1938 and moved to Los Angeles shortly after.
Almost a decade later, they founded Mattel with their business partner Harold “Matt” Matson in 1945. In addition to serving as the co-founder of the toy manufacturing and entertainment company, Ruth also served as the president of Mattel from 1945 until 1973.
Most recently, Barbara gave her seal of approval of the Barbie movie, specifically praising Margot Robbie’s role as the popular doll.
Here’s everything to know about Ruth’s children.
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Barbara inspired her mom to make Barbie
Handler was inspired to create Barbie after watching her daughter Barbara, the namesake of the doll, and her friends play with paper dolls. “I discovered something very important: They were using these dolls to project their dreams of their own futures as adult women.… Wouldn’t it be great if we could take that play pattern and three-dimensionalize it?” she recalled in her memoir.
Barbara and Kenneth “hated” being known as the inspiration behind Barbie and Ken
Bettmann / Getty
During an interview with BBC, Ruth explained that her daughter Barbara, who was 18 when Barbie came out, “hated being known as the inspiration for the Barbie doll.”
“It was just very odd – people were coming up to me, asking me for my autograph,” Barbara explained. “When people came up and say to me, ‘Oh, you're the real Barbie,’ I couldn't understand it because that's just a name that was given to the doll, but a lot of people thought that they modeled it after me and they made it look like me, and that I was supposed to be it. That's not true.”
Ruth’s son Kenneth had similar emotions to being the namesake behind Ken, telling the Los Angeles Times he’s nothing like the doll. “Ken doll is Malibu,” he told the publication in 1989. “He goes to the beach and surfs. He is all these perfect American things.” Meanwhile, Kenneth described himself as “a real nerd,” who “played the piano and went to movies with subtitles” in high school.
Kenneth was a director
While his parents made a name for themselves in the toy industry, Kenneth made a name for himself in the film industry. He was a screenwriter, director, and film composer, best known for helming Delivery Boys and A Place Without Parents.
Kenneth’s daughter was the namesake behind the Stacie doll
Kenneth and his wife Suzie Handler, who he married in 1963, had three children together, one of whom was the namesake behind Barbie’s younger sister, Stacie, per IMDb. The Todd and Cheryl dolls were also named after Ruth’s grandchildren, per The Washington Post.
Kenneth died in June 1994
Kenneth died on June 11, 1994 from a brain tumor, as reported by The Guardian. His mother Ruth died April 27, 2002, and his father Elliott died nine years later on July 21, 2011 at the age of 95.
Related: All the Best Outfits From the 'Barbie' Movie
Barbara approves of Margot Robbie’s role as Barbie
LEE CELANO/AFP via Getty
Following the release of the Barbie trailer, Barbara spoke with TMZ, where she gave her seal of approval to Margot Robbie’s role. The publication noted that she thought the trailer was “super cute and she's especially liking Margot's voice.” She added that while never thought the Barbie doll would inspire a full Hollywood production, she thinks her mother would be proud to see the doll come to life on the screen.
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