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
Brent Handler Brad Handler, Martin Pucher and Brian Corbett, Brent Handler re-entered the destination club marketplace with the launch of the Denver-based destination club Inspirato. Brent Handler currently serves as the company’s CEO. In a departure from the traditional destination club model, Inspirato rents rather than owns its homes, reducing the club’s upfront costs and allowing for lower membership fees. Handler’s innovative business model and past success in the destination club space led to significant interest from the venture capital community. The company raised $65 million from some of the world’s top venture capital firms, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and