This 2023 Barbie is back in fashion. Greta Gerwig’s film, starring Margot Robbie -in the role of Barbie- and Ryan Gosling -in the role of Ken-, is one of the most anticipated this year by fans of the iconic Mattel doll, which turned 64 this past March.
Thanks to this production and Valentino, the Barbiecore trend has been imposed, which basically consists of dressing in fuchsia pink from head to toe, thus emulating the style of the doll. What many do not know is that the founders of Barbie were inspired by their own daughter to create this character.
Elliot and Ruth Handler met in 1932 at a party and have been inseparable ever since. They moved to California and in 1945 partnered with Harold Matsson to start the Mattel company, whose name was a combination of Mattson and Elliot. Initially the company was dedicated to manufacturing photo frames and years later they decided to manufacture dollhouses.
But in 1959 they released the first doll with the name of Barbie. The great source of inspiration was her daughter Barbara. In fact, they did not hesitate to baptize the character with the diminutive name of her daughter. Later, they would do the same with her second son named Ken.
“She was a pioneer of her time, helping women to be successful and strong at that time,” Barbara said of her mother, who passed away in 2002. In an interview, she also applauded her mother’s tenacity in putting the most famous doll up for sale. “She was a person who would go out of her way to help others. Most of the men in the company didn’t think it would be a good idea but she kept going,” she said.
However, for years Barbara Handler disowned Barbie because she hated being compared to her. Both were blonde and had blue eyes, two details that did not go unnoticed by fans of the character. “If the doll is like me, it’s pure coincidence,” she went on to say in an interview with The New York Times.
Over the years, Handler has come to terms with the doll her parents created. In 2002 he did not hesitate to attend the act that was held on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to pay tribute to the doll. Currently, Barbara is 81 years old and recently showed her satisfaction with Margot Robbie’s work as Barbie. “She’s perfect for the part,” she said.
