Ruth Handler's children resented the dolls named after them and didn't buy any for their own children.
The plastic dolls were actually named after a sister and brother – the children of Mattel cofounder and Barbie creator Ruth Handler.
Almost immediately after Barbie hit toy shop shelves in 1959, Mattel started receiving "hundreds of letters from little girls begging us to make a boyfriend for Barbie," Handler wrote.
"If people did find out, she'd tell them in no uncertain terms that she was not the Barbie doll."
Barbara, meanwhile, said: "I'm tired of being Barbie doll."
Persons:
Barbie, Ken, Ruth Handler's, —, Greta Gerwig's, –, Ruth Handler, Frederic Neema, Handler, Babs, Barbara, Barbara Millicent Roberts, Ruth, Jens, Ulrich Koch, Stache, Cyrus McCrimmon, Lobel, Blaine, Mel Melcon, Mattel Barbara, Barbie Ken, Iris Schneider, Elliott Handler, Bettmann, Barbara Handler, Handler's, Barbies . Bork, bimbo, Timm Schamberger, hadn't
Organizations:
Service, Mattel, Getty, Los Angeles Times, Hulton, Valentine's, Express, DDP, Getty Images, Denver, Fair
Locations:
Europe, AFP, Nuremberg, Germany