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
Ganz (toy company) Ganz (toy company) Ganz is a Canadian company best known for distributing plush animals and collectibles. They are the manufacturer of Webkinz, the toy with an interactive virtual-reality Internet site for children. Founded in 1950 by Holocaust survivors Samuel Ganz and sons Jack and Sam Ganz, it was originally called Ganz Bros.Toys. and sold products for the Canadian home market. They were also carnival suppliers and manufactured many products in their own factory. A private company with headquarters just north of Toronto in Woodbridge, Ontario, Ganz is known as a user of Ty's copyrighted TyTips fabric, which is used for