ruth handler — a modern pioneer
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Ruth Handler, mother to the world's most beloved fashion doll, was herself a unique and inspiring individual. As a college sophomore at the University of Denver, Ruth visited Los Angeles and quickly fell for the glamour of Hollywood. Ruth turned her vacation into a life-long stay by walking into the Paramount Studios personnel office and immediately convincing them to employ her. Having led the way, Elliot Handler, Ruth's then boyfriend, joined his wife-to-be in LA to complete his education in art and design. With Ruth's flair for marketing and Elliot's passion for design, the two went on to build a new toy company, Mattel Creations.
Ruth, sensing the need to foster girls' dreams about the future, watched her own daughter Barbara play with paper fashion dolls and imagine them as college students, cheerleaders and career women. Inspired by her daughter's imagination, Ruth worked with her husband to design a three-dimensional fashion doll, despite doubts cast by her all-male staff. Several years and designs later, Barbie® the "Teenage Fashion Model" was introduced at the annual Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959. Little girls everywhere clamored for the doll that would help millions of them around the world play out their fantasies.
Mattel and Barbie® doll's success climbed through the decades, but then Ruth was faced with a personal tragedy. In 1970, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Facing a mastectomy, Ruth went in search of a realistic prosthesis but was disappointed by every product she tried. Ruth quickly took matters into her own hands. In 1975 she left Mattel, and within a year, she formed the Ruthton Corporation to create and market the highly successful "Nearly Me" breast prosthesis. "Nearly Me" is still a top-selling prosthesis available today that countless breast cancer survivors have come to rely on.
