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Elliot Handler, co-founder of Mattel, dies at 95

Elliot Handler, a founder of the El Segundo-based toymaker Mattel who created the iconic Barbie doll with his wife, has died. He was 95.

Handler, who had been ill for some time, suffered a heart attack at his Century City home on Thursday evening, said his daughter, Barbara Segal.

"He was just a very kind, soft-spoken man. Very creative," said Segal of Century City, after whom the Barbie doll is named. "I don't think anyone could say anything bad about him."

A statement from the company the Handlers founded with a partner in 1945 said Elliot Handler "not only inspired and delighted the employees of Mattel but generations of children around the world."

In addition to Barbie and her boyfriend doll Ken - named for the Handlers' son - his other hit toy creations include the Hot Wheels brand of miniature cars that came out in the late 1960s and the Uke-A-Doodle, a child-size ukulele.

"The 30,000 employees of Mattel are proud to continue his legacy and love of play for generations to come," said the company, headquartered on Continental Boulevard in El Segundo.

Handler was born in April 9, 1916, the second of four sons in his family, and grew up in Denver, Colo. He met his future wife, Ruth Mosko, at a charity dance in 1932, and the couple married about five years later.

After relocating to Los Angeles, Ruth Handler found a job as a stenographer at Paramount Pictures, and her husband worked part-time at a lighting fixture company while attending art school.

In a taped interview posted on YouTube, the couple talk about how Elliot Handler began creating giftware items with a few pieces of equipment they bought on credit from Sears.

He worked with plastics in a garage in their apartment building, but they were forced to rent a small storefront after people complained about dust on their cars.

One of Handler's plexiglass designs was shaped like a small hand that could be pinned to a shirt and hold a flower.

In 1945, the Handlers partnered with his friend, Harold Matson, and blended their names to form Mattel Creations, making wooden picture frames and dollhouse furniture with both wood scraps and plastic.

The Uke-A-Doodle, the first in a line of musical toys, was an early success, as the company was able to turn a profit its first year, according to Mattel. After the ukulele came out in 1947, Matson sold his share of the business.

The Barbie doll that came later was Ruth Handler's inspiration.

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