John W. Ryan (November 12, 1926 – August 13, 1991) was an American designer. Ryan worked at toy company Mattel for 20 years, becoming the company's vice president of research and development, and subsequently working as a consultant. He was responsible for the Barbie doll, Hot Wheels, and Chatty Cathy. He was the sixth husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor.[1]
Jack Ryan | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 12, 1926 |
| Died | August 13, 1991 (aged 64) Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Designer |
| Spouses | Barbara Harris
(m. 1950; div. 1971)Linda Henson
(m. 1979; died 1981)Gari Hardy Lansing
(m. 1981; div. 1985)Magda Orzechowski (m. 1985) |
Career
editRyan graduated from Yale University, after which he worked at aerospace company Raytheon as an engineer, working on the AIM-7 Sparrow and MIM-23 Hawk missiles.[1][2]
Mattel hired him for his "space-aged savvy" and knowledge of materials.[3]
In 1956, Mattel co-owner Ruth Handler returned from a European vacation with a German-designed Bild Lilli doll. She and Ryan worked on producing a similar fashion doll for the American market (the two later disputed which of them was chiefly responsible for the doll's design).[4]
Ryan went on to lead Mattel's research and development department, with a research and development budget in 1962 of $1.5 million US dollars.[5] He developed Chatty Cathy, Ken, Hot Wheels, and Larry the Lion, and was involved in creating the voice systems for Chatty Cathy, Barbie, and Larry the Lion.[6]
Ryan worked on the V-rroom! X-15 velocipede which was named after the North American X-15 rocket-powered aircraft, and patented the V-RROOM! toy engines that simulated motorcycle engine sounds.[citation needed]
Ryan's relationship with Mattel soured, and in 1980 he sued Mattel for royalties; the company settled out of court.[4]
Death
editRyan suffered a debilitating stroke in 1989; he died by gun suicide on August 13, 1991.[7][8][1][4]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Jack Ryan Dies at 65; Designer of Barbie Doll". The New York Times. The Associated Press. August 21, 1991. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010.
- ^ Richard Warren Lewis (July 14, 1975). "Jack Ryan and Zsa Zsa: A Millionaire Inventor and His Hungarian Barbie Doll". People.
- ^ Lori Leibovich; Suzette Lalime (November 26, 1997). "The Skinny on Barbie - Essential facts about her checkered past". Salon.
- ^ a b c Jill Lepore (January 22, 2018). "When Barbie Went to War with Bratz". The New Yorker.
- ^ Eiss, Harry Edwin, ed. (1994). Images of the child. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. p. 195. ISBN 0879726547.
- ^ Oppenheimer, Jerry (2009). Toy monster : the big, bad world of Mattel. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. pp. 4, 14. ISBN 978-0470371268.
- ^ The Toys that Made Us - Season 1 - Episode 2
- ^ Myrna Oliver (August 19, 1991). "Jack Ryan, 65; Toy Inventor, Missile Designer". Los Angeles Times.