#66: The Missile Engineer Behind Barbie and Hot Wheels
Barbie’s story usually centers around Ruth Handler, the visionary behind the doll. But fewer people know about Jack Ryan, the engineer who helped bring Barbie’s physical design to life. A Yale-educated engineer, Ryan previously worked on missiles for the defense contractor Raytheon before Mattel recruited him.
He played a key role in designing Barbie’s body and the mechanisms that made her poseable. His work also extended to another Mattel classic: Hot Wheels. It’s wild to think that the same mind that once worked on weapons of war later helped create some of the world’s most beloved toys.
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