Who created the Barbie doll?

Ruth Handler created the Barbie doll.

Handler was an American businesswoman, inventor, and co-founder of Mattel. She proposed an adult-bodied fashion doll after observing her daughter Barbara play with paper dolls and act out grown-up roles. At the time, many children’s dolls represented babies, so Handler saw an opportunity for a doll that let children imagine an adult future.

During a 1956 trip to Europe, Handler encountered the German Bild Lilli doll, whose adult proportions helped inspire Barbie’s design. She brought examples back to Mattel, and the company developed the American doll with designer Jack Ryan. Barbie premiered in 1959 and was named after Handler’s daughter.

The answer is sometimes confused with Mattel or Elliot Handler. Mattel manufactured and marketed Barbie, while Elliot Handler co-founded the company and supported its development; Ruth is the person conventionally credited as Barbie’s creator and inventor. Ruth later served as Mattel’s first president and remained the central figure in Barbie’s origin story.