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
Richter (toy company) Richter (toy company) F. Ad. Richter & Cie was founded and owned by Friedrich Adolf Richter. This German manufacturer produced many products, including pharmaceuticals, music boxes, gramophones, and Anchor Stone building sets. He established his main factory in Rudolstadt, Germany. In addition the company had factories in Vienna Austria, Nuremberg Germany, New York City USA, and St. Petersburg, Russia. In addition the company had operations for internal supply in Konstein, Germany (glass bottles) and Leipzig, Germany (publishing - printing was done in Rudolstadt). Friedrich Adolf Richter was born 1847 in Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia and died 1910 in Jena. The Anker