Jewish Toy & Game Inventors

The teddy bear, Barbie, Mr. Potato Head, Hot Wheels, Transformers, Rummikub, Guess Who?, the Ant Farm, Operation, The Game of Life, the home games console, Lionel trains, Madame Alexander dolls, Hasbro and Toys "R" Us. Most of these are still made and still played, and the people behind them were often refugees: Henry Orenstein survived five concentration camps before he brought Transformers to the West, Theo Coster was a classmate of Anne Frank, and Ruth Handler asked her husband to stop using the name Isadore. Each profile is sourced.

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Alan G. HassenfeldAlan G. HassenfeldCEO of Hasbro 1989–2003; founding benefactor of Hasbro Children's Hospital and founder of the Hassenfeld Family Initiative for children's rights · 1989Elie AzoulayElie AzoulayFrench entrepreneur, founder of the Lansay toy company.Henry HassenfeldHenry HassenfeldCo-founded Hassenfeld Brothers in 1923, the company that became Hasbro, and led it as its head from 1926 and CEO from 1943 · 1923Herman HassenfeldHerman HassenfeldCo-founded Hassenfeld Brothers in 1923, the company that became Hasbro · 1923Hillel HassenfeldHillel HassenfeldCo-founded Hassenfeld Brothers in 1923, the company that became Hasbro · 1923Joshua Lionel CowenJoshua Lionel CowenFounder of Lionel Corporation (electric toy trains); early flashlight/battery work · 1877Marvin GlassMarvin GlassToy designer whose studio created Operation, Mouse Trap, Lite-Brite, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots and Ants in the Pants. · 1960sMorris MichtomMorris MichtomCreated the first Teddy bear (1902) with his wife Rose, naming it after Theodore Roosevelt — with the president's permission; their Brooklyn candy shop became the Ideal Toy Company · 1902Ralph H. BaerRalph H. BaerInvented the home video game console (the 'Brown Box'/Magnavox Odyssey, 1972) and the electronic memory game Simon (1978). · 1972Ruth HandlerRuth HandlerBarbie Doll and Mattel Co-founder · 1959Beatrice AlexanderFounded the Alexander Doll Company; Madame Alexander dolls, still produced as collectibles · 1923Charles LazarusFounded Toys "R" Us and invented the toy supermarket, which reshaped how toys are sold · 1948David Gottlieb (pinball)Founded D. Gottlieb & Co. and made pinball an industry; Baffle Ball (1931) was the first successful coin-operated pinball machine · 1927David MarxCo-founded Louis Marx and Company with his brother Louis in 1919, the firm that became the world's largest toy maker · 1919Don LevineHead of research and development at Hasbro who created G.I. Joe, the first action figure · 1964Eddy GoldfarbInvented 800+ toys including the wind-up chattering 'Yakity-Yak Talking Teeth,' KerPlunk, Battling Tops and Stompers. · 1949Edwin S. LoweNamed and popularised Bingo, and named and sold Yahtzee — both still among the most played games in the world · 1956Elliot HandlerCo-founded Mattel and designed its toys; Hot Wheels, Chatty Cathy and, with Ruth Handler, Barbie · 1945Ephraim HertzanoInvented Rummikub, which won the Spiel des Jahres in 1980 and is sold in dozens of countries · 1950George LernerInvented Mr. Potato Head (developed 1949, launched by Hasbro 1952). · 1952Henry OrensteinBrought Transformers to the West and held over 100 toy patents; also invented the hole-card camera that made televised poker watchable · 1984Isaac LarianFounded MGA Entertainment, the world's largest privately owned toy company; Bratz and L.O.L. Surprise! · 1979Jordan MechnerCreated Karateka and Prince of Persia, pioneering cinematic animation in video games · 1989Louis MarxBuilt Louis Marx and Company into the largest toy manufacturer in the world in the 1950s · 1919Melissa BernsteinCo-founded Melissa & Doug, whose wooden puzzles and pretend-play toys are among the best-selling children's toys today · 1988Merrill HassenfeldPresident of Hasbro from 1943 and its head from 1960; oversaw Mr. Potato Head, the Disney licence and G.I. Joe · 1943Milton LevineCreated the Ant Farm and co-founded Uncle Milton Toys; more than 20 million sold and still in production · 1956Ora and Theo CosterIsraeli couple who invented about 200 games and toys, among them Guess Who?, Zingo! and Go Pop · 1979Ralph AnspachEconomics professor who created Anti-Monopoly and won the ten-year lawsuit that put Monopoly's true origins on the record · 1973Reuben KlamerCreated the modern version of The Game of Life (1960) and held 200+ toy patents. · 1960Ronnen HararyCo-founded Spin Master and co-created PAW Patrol, which airs in 160 countries · 1994Rose MichtomCo-created the teddy bear and made the first ones by hand; co-founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company · 1902Stephen D. HassenfeldChairman and CEO of Hasbro 1980–1989; took it past Mattel to become the world's largest toy manufacturer · 1980