Who was Ruth Handler? The story behind Barbie's mother figure in the new movie

Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for the new "Barbie" movie.

If you're one of many who go to a cool movie theater this weekend to catch a screening of "Barbie" (or perhaps, a double-header of "Barbenheimer"), you'll almost certainly wonder about the character played by "Cheers" star Rhea Perlman.

In the film, "Stereotypical" Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, travels from Barbieland to the real world (aka, Los Angeles), and ends up at the headquarters for Mattel - the company responsible for bringing the iconic doll franchise to the world.

After things go south in a conference room with various suits - led by a bumbling CEO played by Will Ferrell - Barbie goes on the lam, running through various corridors on different floors of the office tower, soon finding a hiding spot behind a random door.

There, she finds Perlman in an idyllic setting - a quiet and sunlit kitchen - and the two sit for tea. Perlman's gentle and encouraging character doesn't immediately identify herself, but somehow knows Barbie's name before the living doll sets off once again.

At the end of the film, when Barbie's existential crisis comes to a head, Perlman resurfaces once again, this time revealing herself to be Ruth Handler, the inventor of Barbie. She also makes some offhanded references to her legal troubles in relation to tax evasion. So, what gives? Who is/was Ruth Handler, and is she a real person?

Along with her husband Elliot, Handler co-founded Mattel in 1945. While their business in toymaking was successful early on, it wasn't until 1959 that they became well known, thanks to the wild popularity of Barbie.