In our final part of this retrospective on Ruth Handler's life, we explore her time at Mattel overseeing Barbie's rise to fame, the disasters that saw her leave Mattel, the cancer diagnosis that changed her life, and the personal and legal trials she faced as she was separated from her prized creation, Barbie. What do these things say about Handler and Barbie's legacy, listen and find out!
Listen to Part 1 Here, Listen to Part 2 Here
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Works Cited
“Barbie Doll Vintage Clothes Identified 1959.” Doll Reference, 2004, www.dollreference.com/barbie_clothes1959.html. Accessed 23 June 2023.
Gerber, Robin. Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her. United States, HarperCollins, 2009.
Kershaw, Sarah. “Ruth Handler, Whose Barbie Gave Dolls Curves, Dies at 85.” The New York Times, 29 Apr. 2002, www.nytimes.com/2002/04/29/arts/ruth-handler-whose-barbie-gave-dolls-curves-dies-at-85.html.
Lepore, Jill. “When Barbie Went to War with Bratz.” The New Yorker, Condé Nast, Advance Publications, 15 Jan. 2018, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/01/22/when-barbie-went-to-war-with-bratz.
Lindsey, Robert. “A Million‐Dollar Business from a Mastectomy.” The New York Times, 19 June 1977, www.nytimes.com/1977/06/19/archives/a-milliondollar-business-from-a-mastectomy.html. Accessed 23 June 2023.
