Ruth Handler: From Garage to Billions with Barbie & Hot Wheels

• Mattel, founded by Ruth and Elliot Handler in 1945 from a garage, grew into a toy giant with a current valuation of $6.28 billion, creating iconic brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels.
• Barbie doll was conceived by Ruth Handler, inspired by her daughter Barbara and the German "Bild Lilli" doll, to create an adult-figured doll for girls to project future roles.
• Named after Ruth's daughter Barbara, Barbie launched with innovative TV advertising on "The Mickey Mouse Club," selling 300,000 units in its first year and becoming a sensation.
• Elliot Handler created Hot Wheels in 1968, inspired by his son Kenneth, to offer boys a "cool" line of high-performance, customized toy cars, quickly becoming another major hit for Mattel.
• After battling breast cancer and being forced out of Mattel, Ruth Handler founded "Nearly Me" to produce comfortable and realistic breast prostheses, finding success in a new venture.

Why It Matters: Visionary founders built Mattel into a toy empire with iconic Barbie and Hot Wheels.