Meet the Woman Behind the Barbie Doll

Ruth Handler (November 4, 1916–April 27, 2002) was an American inventor who created the iconic Barbie doll in 1959 (the doll was named after Handler's daughter Barbara). Barbie was introduced to the world at the American Toy Fair in New York City. The Ken doll was named after Handler's son and was introduced two years after Barbie debuted. Handler was the co-founder of Mattel, a company that manufactures a variety of popular toys.