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
Mark Handler Disney Channel from a pay TV model to a straightforward tier cable channel. During his tenure, the subscription base grew from one million to fifteen million subscriptions. Prior to his union with Disney, Handler spent six years with Cox Communications, working in marketing and several general management positions. Handler was also named executive vice president, international, for GO.com, the internet business of The Walt Disney Company which later would be renamed to Walt Disney Internet Group. A fifteen-year Disney veteran, Handler was tasked with further developing the Walt Disney Internet Group’s international expansion in Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America.