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
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.