Greta Gerwig's Barbie film draws inspiration from Barbie's history and Ruth Handler's relationship with her daughter.
Gerwig's movie explores the mother-daughter bond between Handler and Barbara, after whom Barbie is named.
Handler appears in the film as a God-like figure and creator of Barbie in Barbie Land.
Ruth Handler revolutionized the toy industry with Barbie, a doll modeled on adult women.
The idea for Barbie came from Handler's observation of her daughter playing dress-up with paper dolls.
Mattel executives initially resisted the concept of an adult-looking doll but later embraced it.
Handler's inspiration for Barbie came from a German doll called Bild Lilli, based on a pin-up character.