Woman Who Inspired Doll Gives Margot Thumbs-Up

The woman who the Barbie doll is named after is giving Margot Robbie her stamp of approval ... and she thinks the upcoming movie is going to please Barbie fans.

Barbara Handler, whose mother Ruth created the famous toy and named it after her, tells TMZ ... shes seen the "Barbie" movie trailer that just dropped and thinks Margot nailed the starring role.

Overall, Barbara thinks the trailer is super cute and shes especially liking Margots voice ... and its got her looking forward to the movies July release even more. She says the rest of the cast, which includes Ryan Gosling, seems to be great together.

Barbara says her late mother, who also named the Ken doll after Barbaras late brother, never imagined her creation being turned into a Hollywood production ... and she thinks Ruth would be pleased to see the doll come to life on the big screen.

The Handler family wasnt involved in the film, but Barbara says its great to see her mothers legacy live on.

BTW ... Barbara does NOT go by Barbie -- shes been embarrassed by the connection her whole life. Ditto her brother Ken, who also didnt like the association.