Barbie Is Named For This Real Person...Who Is Still Alive Today
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The Barbie movie hit theaters last Friday after literally years of anticipation, and people are still clamoring for tickets a week later. The movie of the summer (sorry, Oppenheimer fans) raked in US box office hauls over $214 million within the first five days of its premiere, and ticket sales continues to roll in. The film stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, along with a star-studded cast that brings to life characters from Mattel executive to President Barbie.
After absorbing so much Barbie content over the last few months, you may be wondering what the story is behind the original doll's creation. Spoiler! She's named for a very real person named Barbara Handler. In fact, you see Margot Robbie's Barbie literally turn into her "human" form, Barbara, at the end of the movie. Below, Women's Health has you covered in everything to know about Barbara Handler.
Who was Barbie named after?
Barbie's (aka Barbara Millicent Roberts) namesake is the one and only Barbara Handler, daughter of Mattel co-founder and then-president, Ruth Handler.
Barbara loved playing with dolls as a young girl, and she inspired her mom, Ruth, to create the OG Barbie doll during a family trip to Europe. As they walked down a street in Switzerland, Barbara stumbled upon a curvy plastic doll in a store window, and was mesmerized by it, per the Boston Globe. The young girl was used to playing with paper dolls.
The doll in the window, a Bild Lilli fashion doll, presented a unique alternative from other dolls at the time, according to Esquire. It was made of plastic, and had the ability to change outfits, which was a rare doll feature at the time.
Barbara said that while her mother purchased four of the dolls for her, she never saw them again after the trip. "They were torn apart and researched, and they got the idea of the separate clothes, and the rest is history," she told the New York Times.
But that's where Barbara's role in the Barbie story ends, per the Los Angeles Times.
Does she appear in the movie?
Nope. While some people thought that a scene with an old woman sitting on the bench was Barbara, it was not her. Barbara does not appear (in real form) in the movie. That's actually Oscar-winning costume designer Ann Roth that you're seeing in that scene.
Barbara is currently 82 years old.
Barbara Handler was born on May 21, 1941 in Los Angeles, California, according to IMDb. Her parents reportedly only had $14 in their bank account the day she was born, per The Boston Globe. Barbara was 15 years old by the time her mother came up for the idea of Barbie, the New York Times reported.
Now, it seems she's living a quiet, retired life. She once owned a linens store, but it doesn't seem like she's currently working. She does, however, like to golf.
She has a brother named Ken.
Yes, that Ken. A few years after the Barbie doll was created, a Ken doll followed in 1961. Similarly to his sister, Kenneth Handler's similarities with his doll began and ended with his name. Unlike the doll, the real Ken Handler was more interested in books and movies with subtitles, according to TODAY.
And, as for the assumption that Barbie and Ken are partners, rather than siblings, Barbara told the New York Times in 2002 that the assumption was awkward. "People think that was my boyfriend or husband. I'm sure it was awkward for [my brother], too," she said.
Barbara had a lot of nicknames growing up.
Barbie's name comes from one of Barbara's many nicknames growing up. She was typically just called "Barbara," but some of her nicknames included Babsy, Bobby and Barbie, she told the New York Times.
She's not currently married.
But Barbara has been married before. In 1959, she married Allen Segal when she was just 18 years old, according to the New York Times. The couple was married for 11 years, and had two children—including a daughter named Cheryl.
Some sources claim that the Allan doll, also known as "Ken's buddy," and played by Michael Cera in the new film, was named after Barbara's ex husband.
Who was Barbie inspired by?
Some fans may compare Barbara to her namesake toy, but both Barbara and her mom insisted that the dolls were not aesthetically modeled after her. “My children did not look like the dolls, although Barbara has always been beautifully built, and the doll wore many hairstyles like hers,” Ruth Handler once wrote to a fan, per the Boston Globe.
In fact, many Barbie fans draw more similarities to Ruth and Barbie. Ruth was once described as "petite, chic, and wealthy," by the Chicago Daily News and drove a pink convertible, according to the Boston Globe.
She doesn't love being compared to Barbie.
Barbara said that she just politely smiles when someone compares her to Barbie, and used to walk away from the topic entirely. "If the doll is like me, it is totally coincidental,” she told the Los Angeles Times in 1989.
However, the Barbie creator's daughter did recognize how revolutionary her mother's invention was. "She was a pioneer of her time for sure," Barbara said in an interview with Branded Content Marketing Association, explaining how strong her mother's belief in Barbie and women's rights remained.
What is Barbara Handler's net worth?
It's not clear what Barbara's current net worth is, but her mom was worth about $100 million when she died, according to Celebrity Net Worth. It's likely Barbara inherited some money when her mother died in 2002.
To catch Margot Robbie's Barbie turn into her namesake IRL, you can catch the movie in theaters now.
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