Barbie play with paper dolls, and noticed that she often enjoyed giving them adult roles. At the time, most children's toy dolls were representations of infants. Realizing that there could be a gap in the market, Handler suggested the idea of an adult-bodied doll to her husband Elliot, a co-founder of the Mattel toy company. He was unenthusiastic about the idea, as were Mattel's directors. During a trip to Europe in 1956 with her children Barbara and Kenneth, Ruth Handler came across a German toy doll called Bild Lilli. The adult-figured doll was exactly what Handler had in mind, so she
Evan Handler of his long journey toward gratitude in the years after his illness. The book was released in May 2008. Handler has written for several nationally distributed magazines, including "ELLE", "O, the Oprah Magazine", and "Mirabella". Handler contributes regularly to "The Huffington Post". Evan married Elisa Atti, an Italian-born chemist, in 2003, and they have a daughter, Sofia Clementina Handler (born January 17, 2007). Handler has a brother Lowell and a sister Lillian. Lowell Handler, a writer and photographer, is the author of the book "Twitch & Shout: A Touretter's Tale" and the star, narrator, and associate producer of the Emmy-nominated