Elliot Handler daughter, Barbara, who was the namesake of Barbie dolls; and a son, Kenneth (who died of a brain tumor in 1994) who was the namesake of Ken dolls. While a struggling art student and designer of light fixtures, Handler partnered with Harold Matson to design a realistic-looking miniature piano that received roughly 300,000 orders; however, they mispriced the product and lost a dime on each one produced. Mattel received its name from business partners Harold Matt Matson and Elliot Handler in 1945. Elliot's wife, Ruth, took Matson's role when the Handlers bought his share in the late 1940's. Ruth Handler
Biff Elliot Maine. Elliot had a childhood nickname "Bith" but later adapted it to "Biff" when he went into boxing, which he did when he was 16 and his family had moved to Presque Isle. He then became known as Biff Harris. Eventually Elliot went on to become the North Maine champion and even reached the New England regional championship, but once his mother found out about his boxing, she refused to allow him to continue. In 1943 Elliot signed up for the United States Army, was placed in the 34th Infantry Division and later stationed to North Africa. Once the war