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
Evan Handler PBS television documentary "Twitch & Shout", in which Evan appeared. Evan Handler Evan Handler (born January 10, 1961) is an American actor who is best known for playing Charlie Runkle, Hank Moody's comically bumbling friend and agent, on "Californication" (2007–2014) and Harry Goldenblatt, a divorce attorney and later husband of Charlotte York on "Sex and the City" (2002–2004). Handler was born in New York City, to secular Jewish parents, the son of Enid Irene, a mental health administrator, and Murry Raymond Handler, an agency owner and advertising designer. He was raised in the Town of Cortlandt, New York, near Croton-on-Hudson,