Barbara Handler: The Real-Life Inspiration Behind the Iconic Barbie Doll

Barbara Handler is the daughter of Ruth Handler, the co-founder and former president of Mattel, the toy company that created the Barbie doll. Barbara was born on May 21, 1941 in Los Angeles, California, and grew up playing with paper dolls. She unknowingly inspired her mother to create the world’s most famous fashion doll during a family trip to Europe in 1956.

How Barbara Handler Sparked the Idea of Barbie

According to Women’s Health, Barbara and her family were visiting Switzerland when she saw a curvy plastic doll in a store window. The doll was called Bild Lilli, and it was based on a popular comic strip character in Germany. Barbara was fascinated by the doll, which had interchangeable outfits and accessories. She asked her mother to buy her four of them, but she never saw them again after the trip.

Ruth Handler had noticed that her daughter and her friends preferred playing with adult-looking dolls rather than baby dolls. She thought that there was a market for a three-dimensional fashion doll that would allow girls to imagine their future roles and aspirations. She took the Bild Lilli dolls home and studied them carefully. She then worked with a designer named Jack Ryan to create a new doll that would appeal to American girls. She named the doll Barbie, after her daughter’s nickname.

How Barbara Handler Reacted to Barbie

Barbie made its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959. It was an instant hit, selling over 350,000 units in its first year. However, not everyone was happy about the doll’s success. Barbara Handler, who was 18 years old when Barbie came out, hated being known as the inspiration for the doll.

According to People, Barbara felt uncomfortable with the attention and fame that came with being associated with Barbie. She said that people would ask her for her autograph or expect her to look like the doll. She also felt that her mother had taken away something that was special to her by turning it into a mass-produced product. She said that she never played with Barbie dolls after they were launched.

Barbara’s brother Kenneth, who was also the namesake of Barbie’s boyfriend Ken, had similar feelings. He told the Los Angeles Times that he was nothing like the Ken doll, which he described as “Malibu” and “perfect”. He said that he was “a real nerd” who played the piano and watched movies with subtitles.

What Barbara Handler Did Later in Life

Barbara Handler pursued a career in music and entertainment. She worked as a singer, songwriter, producer, and manager for various artists and bands. She also founded the Barbara Handler Foundation, which provides funding to groups that encourage women’s empowerment.

Barbara married Allen Segal, a musician and composer, in 1962. They had three children together: Cheryl, Todd, and Kenneth II. They divorced in 1975. Barbara later remarried to Glenn Weinman, a businessman and philanthropist, in 1984.

Barbara is currently 82 years old and lives in Los Angeles. She has seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She has reconciled with her mother Ruth, who passed away in 2002 at the age of 85. She has also given her seal of approval to the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, which was released in July 2023.

Barbara Handler is a remarkable woman who has lived an extraordinary life. She is not only the real-life inspiration behind the iconic Barbie doll, but also a successful musician, producer, philanthropist, and mother. She is a role model for many girls and women around the world who dream of achieving their goals and making a difference.

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