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
Brent Handler 1969 in Denver, Colorado, the son of Suzanne and Norton Handler. Norton Handler owned a series of clothing manufacturers and shared his passion for entrepreneurism and real estate with both Brent and his older brother Brad during their early years. Handler attended Thomas Jefferson High School (Denver), where he played tennis and basketball, and graduated in 1987. He earned his undergraduate business degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1991. In 1995, Handler married Kirsten Sweetman. They have three children. Brother, Brad Handler, went on to become the first in-house attorney at eBay and later joined Brent as