Creator of Mattel’s Hot Wheels dies

Sure, there was Barbie. But what may turn out to be the true lasting legacy of Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler was the creation of Hot Wheels.

Handler died Thursday of heart failure at 95, a veteran of the toy industry since the end of World War II. The Los Angeles resident didn’t think Barbie would be a success when wife Ruth came up the idea in 1959. It became of one of the two products that would define Mattel.

via Creator of Mattel’s Hot Wheels dies – Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive – USATODAY.com.