Elliot Handler was born on 9 April 1916 in Chicago. He was an American inventor, business magnate, and the co-founder of Mattel. he developed some of the biggest-selling toys in American history, including Barbie, Chatty Cathay, Creepy Crawls, and Hot Wheels. He has earned a successful name in the business industry.
Elliot Handler’s early life and education, and personal life
Elliot Handler was born to a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, on April 9, 1916. Handler’s parents were Ukrainian Jews who largely spoke Yiddish within their household. The family moved out of Chicago, and Handler grew up on the west side of Denver, Colorado. He studied industrial design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. In 1929, he met his future wife Ruth Mosko at a B’nai B’rith dance for teenagers.
They dated on and off for years and were married in June 1938. The couple had two children: Barbara, who was the namesake of Barbie dolls; and Kenneth, the namesake of Ken dolls. 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.
Elliot Handler’s business
Mattel received its name from business partners Harok “Matt Mation and Eliot Handler in 1945 Ellor’s wife, Ruth, looked at Mahor’s role when the Handlers bought his share in the late 1940.
Handler holds credit for developing the first talking doll Chathy Cathy using a Pull String talking mechanism, revolutionizing the toy industry. Mattel continued to develop several talking toys, including Chatty Baby, Tiny Chatty Baby, and Charmin Cathy. Toys were made for cartoon favorites such as Bags Bunny and Porky Pig and television characters such as Herman Munster and Mr. Ed. When Handler’s daughter Barbara married Allan Segal, they created Allan, Ken’s friend.
The 1965 talking doll Baby Cheryl was named after the Handlers’ first grandchild, and the Todd doll in the Barbie line was named after their grandson. Handler was primarily responsible for two additional Mattel product lines. In 1966, Mattel introduced smaller dolls called Liddle Kiddles.
Handler claimed he wanted them to resemble little children in neighborhoods across America. They were sculpted by doll artist Martha Armstrong-Hand. Kiddles were a great success and continued to be produced in different versions until the early 1970s. Another product line was Hot Wheel, introduced in 1968, which gave rise to 10,000 different models. First called Mattel Creations, the company has become the largest toy maker in the world in terms of revenue.
In April 2006, Mattel honored Handler with a 90th birthday party at its headquarters in El Segundo California. Guests included his daughter Barbara Segal, the namesake of the Barbie doll.
Elliot Handler’s death
Elliot Handler died on 21 July 2011 at the age of 95. His wife died in 2002. He lived a happy life with his family. Elliot Handler earned a good name in the business industry.
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