Barbie Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. Barbie is the figurehead of a brand of Mattel dolls and accessories, including other family members and collectible dolls. Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parodies of the doll and her lifestyle. Mattel has sold over a
Mark Handler Disney Channel from a pay TV model to a straightforward tier cable channel. During his tenure, the subscription base grew from one million to fifteen million subscriptions. Prior to his union with Disney, Handler spent six years with Cox Communications, working in marketing and several general management positions. Handler was also named executive vice president, international, for GO.com, the internet business of The Walt Disney Company which later would be renamed to Walt Disney Internet Group. A fifteen-year Disney veteran, Handler was tasked with further developing the Walt Disney Internet Group’s international expansion in Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America.