For more than sixty years, Barbie has been played with, analyzed, collected, criticized, and loved. In this illustrated lecture, historian and actor Leslie Goddard delves into the history of Barbie and her inventor, the passionately creative – and intensely competitive -- Ruth Handler. Learn what inspired Handler to develop Barbie in 1959, how Barbie helped make Mattel one of the world’s most successful toy companies, and what Barbie’s impact has been on American culture.