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
Clover (toy company) Clover (toy company) Clover was a Japanese toy company founded in 1973. It closed in 1983. Today it is mainly known as the sponsor of the original Gundam TV-series in 1979. As such, it was responsible for canceling the show early because it didn't sell enough toys. The show was mainly popular among older kids and young adults who didn't buy toys, and sales suffered as a result. Also Clovers designs were not based on the finished version of the show and thus were not very accurate. Gundam ended up being very popular after it was re-edited into a movie-trilogy