My whole philosophy of Barbie was that through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. —Ruth Handler, Barbie’s creator. Before she was president, an astronaut, firefighter or doctor, Barbie was the brand-new doll on the shelves in 1959. Learn the story of Barbie's origins and how she came to be the iconic doll and character that is now known across the world and across generations.