Ruth Handler is considered the mother of the Barbie doll — and her dramatic real-life tale is more than just a toy story
Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler reshaped consumer culture with the debut of Barbie in 1959. The role-model doll is one of the most popular toys in history, while Handler, daughter of immigrants, offers young women her own inspirational example.
The "Barbie" name seems to have been on everyone’s lips since the hit movie debuted in theaters in the summer of 2023.
The dolls, however, have been around since 1959 — and now the brand has announced a new line for its Career of the Year collection.
This year, the Mattel brand toy will feature four new dolls focused on women in the movies.
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The four new Barbie dolls represent four different film careers: studio executive, director, cinematographer and movie star.
The idea came after Greta Gerwig’s successful "Barbie" movie, which made Gerwig the first female director in history with a billion-dollar film, according to the brand.
Barbie has launched the 2024 Career of the Year collection, which includes four jobs in the film industry. (Mattel)
The studio executive Barbie is a doll that wears a blue blazer and leather skirt, black heels and yellow sunglasses with a smartphone in her hand.
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The director Barbie is wearing a denim jumpsuit and bright pink sneakers with a viewfinder on her neck, a yellow headset on her head and a script in her hand.
Director Barbie wears a denim jumpsuit and carries a film script. (Mattel)
Cinematographer Barbie has on a purple T-shirt, which reads, "Chase dreams."
She wears black leopard print pants and white sneakers — and carries a clapboard.
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Lastly, the movie star Barbie wears a sequined floor-length gown with a necklace and holds an award trophy.
Cinematographer Barbie hold a marker and wears black leather pants. (Mattel)
The dolls, which are currently available online at the Mattel Shop for $49.99, are part of Barbie’s ongoing Career of the Year collection, which began in 2010.
"Barbie continues to take on culturally relevant and aspirational roles in fields where women are underrepresented."
Some of the other themes have included the architect in 2011, a Mars explorer in 2013, the judge in 2019, a presidential campaign team in 2020 and the eco-leadership team in 2022, among others.
Studio exec Barbie wears a blazer and skirt, and carries a smartphone in her hand. (Mattel)
The brand said in a press release that Barbie continues to release new "Career of the Year" collections to "show girls [that] they can be anything."
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"Barbie continues to balance the Career of the Year line with careers that resonate with culture as well as roles that we know kids love and see in their everyday life such as a teacher, doctor and vet," the brand noted.
"Barbie continues to take on culturally relevant and aspirational roles in fields where women are underrepresented."
Movie star Barbie wears a sequined gown and has dark, flowing hair. (Mattel)
The release also noted that Barbie continues to strive to inspire "limitless potential in every girl."
"Barbie" the movie recently won the first-ever "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement" award at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards.
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Margot Robbie, who played Barbie, dedicated the award to the fans who came to the theaters and said the film was "made with love."
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