Harold Matson and Elliot Handler founded which toys and games company in 1945?
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
Harold Matson his death, Ruark left his Rolls-Royce car to Matson. Harold Matson Harold Matson (February 26, 1898 – January 5, 1988) was an American literary agent and founder of the Harold Matson Company. His clients included Evelyn Waugh, C. S. Forester, Arthur Koestler, Malcolm Lowry, William Saroyan, Allen Drury, Robert Ruark, Herman Wouk, Evan S. Connell, Flannery O'Connor and Richard Condon. Matson was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up in San Francisco. "The New York Times" called Matson "one of the most influential figures in book publishing." The $106,000 sale of the paperback rights to Robert Ruark's novel "Something