Elliot Handler Elliot Handler Elliot Handler (April 9, 1916 – July 21, 2011) was an American inventor, businessman, and co-founder of Mattel. With his wife, he developed some of the biggest-selling toys in American history, including Barbie, Chatty Cathy, Creepy Crawlers, and Hot Wheels. Handler was born to a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, on April 9, 1916, and grew up in Denver, Colorado. He studied industrial design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. In 1929, he met his future wife Ruth Mosko at a B'nai B'rith dance for teenagers. They later married and had two children: a
Applause (toy company) KFC, Kellogg's, General Mills, and Pillsbury. In 1998 the company produced fast food toys for "A Bug's Life", "Mulan", "Pokémon" (KFC) and "Godzilla". In 2004 CEO Bob Solomon shot himself after it was apparent that the company was not going to survive. The company filed for bankruptcy shortly after his death. The Applause name was acquired by Russ Berrie in a bankruptcy auction. Applause (toy company) Applause Inc. was a company that produced stuffed toys and collectible figurines. The company produced licensed toys from Warner Bros., Disney, and Jim Henson's Muppets. Its principal subsidiaries included Dakin Inc. and International Tropic-Cal