Ruth Handler
Person
Born
Handler co-founded Mattel with her husband Elliot and Harold Matson in a Los Angeles garage in 1945. She ran the business side, made the bold call to advertise toys on television year-round through the Mickey Mouse Club, and pushed through the Barbie doll in 1959 over objections from colleagues. She was forced out in the 1970s after a financial reporting scandal, then founded a second company making breast prostheses after her own mastectomy.
More about Ruth Handler