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Barbie and Ruth: the Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her

Author: Robin Gerber
Publisher: Collins Business
$24.99 Cloth (278 P.)
ISBN: 9780061341311
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Reviewed by Karla Meyette, Customer Service Bibliographer

I admit that I am of the age that I remember when the first Barbie Doll came on the market -- beginning a life long love affair for me. Ruth Handler, the creator of Barbie, watched her own daughter and playmates yearn for a doll that would fulfill their dreams of being an adult. Up to that point, Ruth was the financial and enthusiastic marketing representative for the newly created Mattel Toy Company, named for Ruth's husband, Elliot, a brilliant toy designer in his own right and their then partner, Matt Matson. It was Ruth who made Mattel Toy Company the biggest toy manufacturer in the U.S. with her creation of Barbie. Elliot was skeptical that mothers in the early 1960's would allow their young daughters to play with such an adult doll, but Ruth was determined to succeed and succeed she did. She managed every aspect of the doll's creation, including Barbie's amazing wardrobe, before launching Barbie at the 1959 Toy Fair.

Ruth and Elliot took the highly competitive toy market by storm with their creative inventions and innovative manufacturing skills. Mattel Toy Company went on to become Mattel, Inc. and for years couldn't be stopped. Unfortunately, their success couldn't last forever. As the company grew, it became more and more difficult for Ruth to manage alone and she was encouraged to add more staff. Gone were the days when she interviewed each management hire in a grueling manner. Although Ruth had no formal education in either marketing or finance, she did have a tremendous enthusiasm and was a workaholic with a strong belief in both herself and her husband.

Ruth was happiest when she was managing Mattel and working with Elliot, who later took over the R&D portion of the company. She had two children, Barbara and Ken, but unlike most women of her time she didn't want to stay home and take care of them. She was extremely ambitious and needed outside work to fulfill her. Although at times estranged from her children, as they all became older they became more and more important to her. She battled breast cancer in the early 1970's at about the peak of Mattel, Inc. and after that things began to go downhill for both Ruth and Mattel. There was shady bookkeeping that Ruth vehemently denied knowing about. When the company wasn't able to pay its bills, the federal government started looking into Mattel and in the end Ruth was indicted for fraud. After years of haggling, Ruth finally pleaded nolo contendere in a Los Angeles courthouse, although she never admitted to any guilt. She was in her 60's and hoped that she would not have to serve jail time. As it turned out, Ruth did not go to jail.

Ruth Handler's life was one full of extreme highs and lows. She loved her work, made millions of dollars, created one of the world's most beloved dolls, owned beautiful homes and cars, and was admired worldwide for being a business woman far ahead of her time. Her lows were just as incredible. She was pushed out of the company that she started and loved dearly, her mastectomy in the 1970's not only left her scarred but in a great deal of pain for the rest of her life, and she lived for years not knowing if she would eventually serve jail time for indiscretions she felt were not her doing.

This book will appeal to programs in women's studies and business, and to every day toy enthusiasts. In the end Ruth and Barbie, despite their ups and downs, won the respect they both deserved.