John W. Ryan (November 12, 1926 – August 13, 1991) was an American designer. Ryan worked at toy company

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in mor ...

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 Chatty Cathy is a pull string "talking" doll originally created by Ruth and Elliot Handler and manufactured by the Mattel toy company from 1959 to 1965. The doll was first released in stores and appeared in television commercials beginning in 19 ...

. He was the sixth husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Career

Ryan graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, after which he worked at aerospace company Raytheon as an engineer, working on the AIM-7 Sparrow and MIM-23 Hawk missiles. Mattel hired him for his "space-aged savvy" and knowledge of materials. In 1956, Mattel co-owner

Ruth Handler Ruth Marianna Handler ( Mosko; November 4, 1916 – April 27, 2002) was an American businesswoman and inventor. Best known for inventing the Barbie doll in 1959, she served as the first president of toy manufacturer Mattel, Inc., which she co ...

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). 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. 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. Ryan worked on the V-rroom! X-15 velocipede which was named after the

North American X-15 The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft. It was operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft. The X-15 set spee ...

rocket-powered aircraft, and patented the V-RROOM! toy engines that simulated motorcycle engine sounds. Ryan's relationship with Mattel soured, and in 1980 he sued Mattel for royalties; the company settled out of court.

Death

Ryan suffered a debilitating stroke in 1989; he died by gun suicide on August 13, 1991.

References

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