"As a child, Barbara longed for an 'ordinary' life. Her definition of such a life included a mother who was always available, always home. And though I dearly loved my children...and made them my first priority, the staying home part just wasn't in my makeup."
After resigning from her toy-industry giant Mattel + retiring from her prosthetic breast company Nearly Me, Ruth sat down to write about her remarkable life.
Ruth co-founded 3 plastics companies with her husband Elliot ~ Elliot Handler Plastics in 1939, Elzac in 1942 + Mattel in 1945. They made everything from doll-house furniture to costume jewelry to plastic ukeleles. With Elliot leading design + production {at first, during his leaves from the Army in WWII}, Ruth headed up sales, marketing + development.