Born in Hungary in 1919, Leslie Berger lived in his native country until the outset of World War II, at which time his parents sent him to the United States to escape Nazi oppression and achieve the “American Dream.” He arrived in New York City at the age of 19 with just $7 in his pocket and lived in a walk-up apartment with several other Hungarian immigrants. Shortly after his move, Berger’s entire family was killed in the Holocaust.

Within five years of his arrival, Berger founded Cardinal Industries in a small Brooklyn loft. The company’s first games, created with a single drill press, included mah-jongg sets, dominoes, poker chip racks and hula-hoops. Berger had a hands-on role in all aspects of the growing business, including manufacturing, sales and deliveries. Always on the forefront, he was licensing before it was fashionable, securing the license to General Hospital from ABC in the early 80’s. At that time he also realized that Asia was increasingly important to the toy industry and became involved with factories there, while always maintaining a U.S. factory.

In 1963, Cardinal Industries became a member of Toy Manufacturers of America (TMA), now called the Toy Industry Association. Berger was actively involved in the Association leadership, serving on the TMA board for many years.

Berger was one of a small group of people that helped create the modern-day toy industry. He has been called a pioneer and a toy industry icon. The toy industry welcomes innovators and entrepreneurs and he came to this country focused on being both in an industry that he loved.

Today, Cardinal Industries is one of the oldest privately owned toy businesses in the U.S. Under the direction of Berger’s son and daughter, Joel and Bonnie, and his grandson, Justin, the third-generation company globally distributes a wide array of classic and licensed board games and puzzles, working with Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, Nickelodeon, Sanrio, NBC, Warner Brothers, Sesame Street and many others. TIA recognized Cardinal Industries’ 70th anniversary at the 2014 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards this past February.

Berger died on March 6, 2014 at the age of 95.

Jill Barad joined Mattel in 1981 as an employee in the company’s novelty section; shortly thereafter she began to rise through the ranks and was promoted to director of the Barbie brand, which she grew to nearly $2 billion worldwide at that time.  

Known for her talent in spotting great products and marketing campaigns, Barad rapidly climbed the Mattel corporate ladder, holding the positions of executive vice president of marketing and product development, then president and chief operating officer. She was finally appointed chairman and chief executive officer, becoming one of four women to hold the helm of a Fortune 500 company in the late 1990s. Through mergers, acquisitions, and the use of high-level marketing skills, Barad ushered in a period of growth and prosperity for Mattel.  The “American Girl” business, which she acquired in 1998, has grown to be one of the major brands of Mattel and within the industry.

Barad is also known for her philanthropic leadership.  During her tenure, Mattel committed $25 million to name one of the country’s pre-eminent children’s hospitals, today known as Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA.

Horst Brandstätter is the sole owner and president of geobra Brandsätter GmbH & Co. KG and head of Brandstätter Holding, based in Bavaria, Germany. Brandstätter is better known as the manufacturer of PLAYMOBIL toys. The Franconian entrepreneur, great-grandson of the company’s founder Andreas Brandstätter, joined the family enterprise in 1952 and has dedicated 61 years to the toy industry so far.

As a young, forward-thinking manager, Brandsätter modernized production facilities and transitioned production material for the toy assortment from tin to plastics. In 1958, the company experienced a huge sales success by first introducing the U.S. “hula hoop” trend into the European market. That year, Brandstätter also made one of his most important managing decisions and hired Hans Beck as his first model maker.

It was in the early 1970s that Brandstätter asked Beck to think of a new play system, believing that a completely new play idea with vehicles and figures would offer more play value for children and also make it more difficult for competitors to copy his products. In 1974, Brandstätter introduced the 2¾ inch PLAYMOBIL figurine during Nuremberg Toy Fair. The new concept of creative role play won over kids and parents and changed children’s rooms worldwide.

Today, the company employs more than 3,700 people, and 2.6 billion PLAYMOBIL figures have been manufactured since 1974. The worldwide PLAYMOBIL turnover reached a record level of 531 million Euro in 2012. An export share of 70% clearly speaks for the international focus, which is supported by 12 PLAYMOBIL subsidiaries around the world.

Jack Friedman was a pioneer in the toy, licensing and video game industries who made his mark over his 50-year career with some of the most iconic playthings of our time. Friedman co-founded JAKKS Pacific in January 1995 and served as its chairman and chief executive officer through March 31, 2010. Thanks in large part to his keen leadership, JAKKS has grown into a top 5 U.S. publicly-traded, diversified toy company.

Prior to founding JAKKS, Friedman led LJN Toys, guiding the company into licensed products based on TV shows – a new frontier for toy companies in the 1970s. At LJN, he launched toys for the movie E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, as well as dolls based on Michael Jackson and Brooke Shields. After the sale of LJN to MCA in 1985, Jack went on to form video game company THQ, Inc. in 1989 and and served as its CEO until 1995. 

Under Friedman’s leadership, JAKKS Pacific grew its portfolio to more than 80% licensed products, including Cabbage Patch Kids, Hello Kitty, Pokémon, Care Bears, Barney, Sesame Street, Smurfs, Atari, Star Wars, Marvel characters, Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Toy Story, Cars, Club Penguin and Pirates of the Caribbean, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, SLIME! and more.  Friedman also worked to diversify JAKKS’ portfolio, which now includes Action Figures, Electronics, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, Halloween Costumes, Kids Furniture, Vehicles, Plush,  Seasonal Products, Infant/Pre-School Toys, Ride-On Vehicles, Wagons, Inflatable Environments and many more.  

Friedman was also a generous philanthropist and supporter of the JAKKS Cares program, which has benefited organizations such as The Toy Industry Foundation, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, Special Olympics, Feed the Children, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Marine Toys for Tots and more. JAKKS Cares has donated more than $50 million worth of toys and school supplies to children around the world, with a goal of helping under-privileged children Smile, Play and Succeed. Friedman died on May 3, 2010 at the age of 70.

Arthur “Spud” Melin and Richard Knerr were inventors, pioneers, risk takers, game changers, and “the gurus of blockbuster fads.” The two lifelong friends started Wham-O in 1948 in South Pasadena, California, and ran the company together for more than 30 years.  At a time when most of the industry was east of the Mississippi, Melin and Knerr helped to pioneer a move to the west. Their first products were novelty items made in the garage of Knerr’s parents and sold via mail order in the Wall Street Journal; their company was named after the sound produced by their first product, a slingshot. 

Over the next three decades they introduced some of the most iconic toys of the 20th century, including the Frisbee, Limbo Stick, Silly String, Super Ball, Slip n’ Slide and the Hacky Sack, among others.  They were always open to original and often strange ideas, and experimented with toys themselves. In 1958, they promoted the Hula Hoop on Southern California playgrounds where they would do demonstrations and give away hoops to get the children to learn and play. Their perseverance turned the toy hoops into the greatest fad the country has ever seen – 25 million were sold in four months!

Melin and Knerr were fun first, business second. They were each in the vanguard of TV advertising, plastic manufacturing and promotional tie-ins. More importantly, their toys have stood the test of time. Toys like the Hula Hoop and Frisbee continue to not only delight children but also appeal to new audiences nearly 60 years later. Melin died in 2002 at the age of 77; Knerr passed away in 2008 at the age of 82.

Judy Ellis is the founder and chair of the nation’s first baccalaureate program in Toy Design, which she launched at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1989. The program emphasizes an ethical design approach and commitment to community.

The FIT program boasts close to 350 alumni who are working in leading toy design, manufacturing and inventor groups throughout the United States and across the globe. An estimated 3,500 products – including Hasbro’s Transformers Mega Powerbots, Littlest Pet Shop Round & Round Pet Town Playset and the licensed idea that was developed by Spin Master®, LTD into the 2009 Toy of the Year Bakugan – have been designed by FIT toy design alumni.

Ellis has received two SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Faculty Service and an award from the national Women In Toys organization for outstanding contribution to the industry. She has been invited to speak about children and design at events including The Yale University Inter-Disciplinary Bio-ethics program, the International Toy Research Association World Toy Congress, and The Smithsonian Institute Museum of American History Invention and Play exhibition, among others.

Russ Berrie was chief executive and chairman of Russ Berrie & Company, which he started in a rented garage in 1963. Berrie built a small empire on stuffed animals and other toys – from his initial launch of Fuzzy-Wuzzies found in novelty shops and card stores, to its immediate follow-up with the Bupkis family and the SilliSculpt lines. In the 1990s the company’s troll doll line sparked a decade of Troll-mania.

Under Berrie’s leadership, by the start of the 21st century Russ Berrie & Company had become one of the world’s largest gift companies with more than 1,500 employees and $300 million in annual sales revenues. He formed a sales organization that set the industry standard for customer service, and assembled a creative team known for innovative materials, attention to detail, and the ability to capture and express human sentiment.

As a private individual, through The Russell Berrie Foundation and through corporate donations, Berrie supported organizations and fostered initiatives that expressed his values, passions and vision. His support of philanthropic organizations earned him numerous awards and public recognition. Fortune magazine, in its February 6, 1998 issue, honored Berrie as one of the 40 most generous Americans. Berrie also served on the TIA Board of Directors.

Arnie Rubin has been in the toy industry for more than 45 years, starting out initially as a bubble mixer at Chemical Sundries. In 1969 he co-founded Imperial Toy Company and in 1987 he formed Funrise Toy Corporation, best known for its Tonka Lights and Sounds emergency vehicles with working sirens and lights, which it has manufactured under license from Hasbro since 1999.  Funrise also produces the popular Gazillion® Bubbles line, which has become the #1 bubble brand in the country and has many popular licenses.

Rubin is the past chairman of the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) and Toy Industry Association. In 2009 he was named to the Toy Safety Certification Program’s Oversight Council and was elected as president of the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI). Rubin is a member of the ICTI Care Board of Governance.

In addition to his support of TIF, Rubin has served on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Braille Institute, and was chairman of the Board of Directors for the Institute for Families of Blind Children. He has organized the Toy Run for Kids benefiting Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, which raises donations of more than $100,000 annually.

Since its inception in 1862, FAO Schwarz has been guided by the principles of its Founder, Frederick August Otto Schwarz.

Schwarz’s career, which spanned nearly 50 years, was filled with innovation. He believed in offering unique, high-quality items, making FAO Schwarz the first toy store in the U.S. to import toys from European cities and led to the introduction of new specialty items, such as the Steiff teddy bear and perambulator (now, baby carriage) as part of the store’s assortment. Beyond offering best-in-class merchandise, Schwarz found unique ways to engage shoppers. Desiring to bring the wonder of his store to customers around the country, in 1876, he began mailing catalogs, creating one of the first mail order businesses in the U.S. Schwarz was also one of the first retailers to bring Santa Claus into his store.

His vision to establish a magical toy emporium has made his namesake store beloved in the toy industry, creating memories for generations of kids worldwide.

Al Verrecchia is known for his industry leadership and his role in harnessing success at Hasbro. He began his toy industry career in 1965 as an accountant at Hasbro, and rose through the ranks to become CEO in 2003. While at the helm, Verrecchia was one of the prime architects of a strategy to leverage the company’s portfolio of brands in categories beyond traditional toys and games.

Prior to his tenure as CEO, Verrechia held a range of executive positions, including CFO, president of manufacturing services, and executive vice resident of global operations, among other key roles. In 2008 he became chairman of Hasbro’s Board of Directors.

Verrecchia has also assumed many leadership roles in the industry. He has served on the TIA Board of Directors, was chair of both the Finance Committee and the Budget Committee, and served as a member of the Investment Committee and the Audit Committee. While on the board Verrecchia helped manage the overwhelming changes taking place with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.  He worked closely with TIA staff and board members to ensure that the industry’s safety record and self-assessments were brought to the government’s attention.

The yo-yo, which many believe can be traced back to 500 B.C., found new life in the U.S. in 1928 when Donald Duncan Sr. saw Filipino native Pedro Flores’s yo-yo store and factory in Santa Barbara, California.

In 1930 Duncan purchased Flores’ production facilities and hired him to run yo-yo promotions. The Duncan Yo-Yo Company became the number one producer of yo-yos for the next 35 years, in that span claiming 85 percent of the entire U.S. yo-yo market. In 1932 he filed for and was assigned a trademark for the word "yo-yo."

John Lasseter is a two-time Academy Award®-winning director and oversees all films and associated projects from Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, which have had an indelible impact on the licensed toy market and have spawned some of today’s most beloved characters.

Lasseter directed the groundbreaking and critically acclaimed films Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2, among others, and executive produced Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. He received a Special Achievement Oscar® in 1995 for his inspired leadership of the Toy Story team.  His work on Toy Story also resulted in an Academy Award®-nomination for Best Original Screenplay, the first time an animated feature had been recognized in that category. Finding Nemo (2003) became the highest grossing animated feature of all time, and won the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature Film. The Incredibles (2004) was recognized with a record-breaking 16 Annie Award nominations for its groundbreaking animation and several Best Of awards by The Wall Street Journal, American Film Institute, National Board of Review and many others.

In 2004 Lasseter was honored by the Art Directors Guild with its Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery award, and an honorary degree from the American Film Institute. He received the 2008 Winsor McCay Award from ASIFA-Hollywood for career achievement and contribution to the art of animation.

In 1962 Sam Walton founded Walmart, which by 1998 had become the largest toy retailer in the country and the largest general retailer in the world.

Walton was raised in Missouri where he worked in his father's store while attending school. Afterward, he trained with J.C. Penney Co. and in 1945 opened the first of several Ben Franklin five-and-dime franchises in Arkansas. He opened his first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962, offering a wide selection of discount merchandise. Whereas other discount store chains were usually situated in or near large cities, Walton based his stores in small towns where there was little competition from established chains. Using this strategy, his company expanded to 800 stores by 1985. In 1983 he opened the first Sam's Wholesale Club.

Joan Ganz Cooney helped to pioneer the concept that entertaining, enriching television could measurably enhance the lives of millions of youngsters — a concept that spawned Sesame Street, now one of the single greatest informal educators of young children in the world.

In 1968 Cooney co-founded the Children's Television Workshop (renamed, Sesame Workshop in June of 2000) and together with Lloyd Morrisett launched the preschool educational series Sesame Street.  She is currently chairman of the Executive Committee of Sesame Workshop's Board. 

Jack Pressman grew up working in his father’s variety store in Harlem selling school supplies, candy, sporting goods and toys, which sparked his interest in the toy industry.

In 1922, Pressman founded J. Pressman & Co. with partner Max Eibitz. In the early years, Pressman’s line consisted of all sorts of crafts, games and activities: everything from metal “Bolb Ball” (similar to Skillball) to children’s clothes pins to a toy Zellophone (similar to a xylophone), and much more.

The company’s first hit was Chinese Checkers, which it acquired the rights to in 1928. Early sets were made of wood or metal, with glass marbles.

As early as 1937, Pressman began seeing the value of licensing popular characters and matching them with new or existing products. Snow White crayon sets, Snow White cutout dolls (1938), and Little Orphan Annie bubble pipes (1937) are some early examples. He was also one of the pioneers of using injection molding machines to produce plastic parts.

Pressman was known as a man of impeccable taste and worldly knowledge. He was an astute businessman, loyal, honest, caring, and sharp. He was also a great teacher, having mentored many legendary toy professionals, among them the late Fred Kroll, inventor of Hungry Hippos.

Born in 1947 in a small town in Denmark’s Jutland peninsula, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen was destined to change the way children play.

The grandson of LEGO founder Ole Kirk Christiansen and today’s principal shareholder of the family-owned LEGO Group, Kristiansen’s passion for the LEGO play experience and brand started from a young age. After school he would often stop into the model shop to sit alongside master builders as they created new models.  He was a skilled, imaginative builder, often inspiring and testing new model concepts and their building instructions.

With his devotion to timeless storytelling and cutting-edge innovation, George Lucas has created some of the most successful and beloved motion pictures of all time. Lucas’s third film was Star Wars (1977), which broke all box-office records and set new standards for sophistication in film visuals and sound, garnering eight Academy Awards.

Star Wars was the first entertainment franchise that brought together film, licensing and merchandising. Not only did Star Wars completely reshape the pop-culture landscape, it revolutionized the toy industry. Star Wars action figures established the 3¾-inch scale, which allowed kids to recreate the dynamic scenes of the movies, and spawned a community of passionate toy collectors - kids and adults alike. Star Wars set the industry "standard" on which most major movie toy lines are based today.

In 1885 cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith founded Binney & Smith, which would go on to introduce the first box of Crayola crayons and become one of the most iconic brands in American history.

Innovators with a passion for color, Binney and Smith started out making red oxide pigments that coated many barns in the United States, as well as carbon black, a revolutionary black pigment that became the main ingredient in automobile tires. In 1900 they bought a gristmill in Easton, Pennsylvania and produced school supplies, including slate pencils and dustless blackboard chalk.

Reuben Klamer is a toy inventor and designer with more than 200 products to his credit. His gift for anticipating trends and developing consumer "must-haves has resulted in products that have been marketed by industry leaders in more than 60 countries on six continents.

Klamer is perhaps best known as the originator of The Game of Life, which in 1981 became part of the permanent Archives of Family Life at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and is second in popularity only to Monopoly. His other major toy credits are the Fisher-Price 1-2-3 Roller Skates, the Art Linkletter Hoop, Gaylord the Walking Dog, Moon Rocks, Dolly Darlings, Erector Constructor Sets, Busy Blocks, Zoo-It-Yourself, and no-glue "snap-together" hobby kits. Klamer also pioneered the worldwide use of an unbreakable plastic called polyethylene in toys.

Lionel Weintraub had the ability to find great talent and great products, resulting in some of the industry's most memorable hits. He started his four-decade career in the toy industry in 1941, and became president of Ideal Toy Corporation in 1962.

Weintraub was a pioneer in the industry. He was one of the first to make injection molded toys, and, recognizing the genius of independent toy inventors, was among the first customers of Marvin Glass and Eddie Goldfarb. Ideal Toy Corp.’s Mr. Machine was one of the industry's first toys to be advertised on television. Weintraub was also instrumental in the introduction of the first 3-D games. His first was Mousetrap! followed by Toss Across, Rebound, Kerplunk, and the Magic 8 Ball. Many of these games are still best sellers today.

When you think of classic toys you played with as a child, there’s a good chance that one of them was a game from the Milton Bradley Company.

Milton Bradley, a draftsman and lithographer by trade, is credited by many for launching the North American board game industry. He founded the Milton Bradley Company when he first produced his own invention in 1860: The Checkered Game of Life. Bradley also invented the one-armed paper cutter, and was an early promoter of establishing kindergartens in American schools.

After his death, the business Bradley began continued to flourish and produced such classics as The Game of Life, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land and Twister, to name a few. Today, the Milton Bradley Company is part of Hasbro Games, the largest manufacturer of games and puzzles in the world.

Throughout his four-decade-long career at Milton Bradley and its parent company Hasbro, George Ditomassi demonstrated his commitment to bringing what have become household brands to worldwide prominence.

Neil Friedman is honored for both his major successes in children’s entertainment and his tireless dedication to helping shape the toy industry.

Friedman began his career at Lionel, where he rose through the ranks to become executive vice president and COO. He went on to work for Hasbro, Gerber, MCA/Universal and Tyco Preschool, where he had great success marketing Tickle Me Elmo. After Tyco was acquired by Mattel, Friedman became president of Fisher-Price Brands, which he established as a significant force in character branded toys. He was named president of Mattel Brands after Mattel and Fisher-Price Brands merged, and served as president of U.S. Business for Toys “R” Us from 2011 to 2012.

Over his long and illustrious career in the toy industry, Eddy Goldfarb, a toy inventor extraordinaire, has proven himself prolific: he has put close to 800 items on the market in a variety of toy categories, and has received nearly 300 patents. Some of his most successful toys include: Yakkity Yak Teeth, Busy Biddy, Merry-Go-Sip, Shark Attack, Arcade Basketball, Quiz Way, Kerplunk, Baby Beans and LEGO Creator Game.

Goldfarb’s childhood dream of inventing toys intensified while on active duty in the U.S. Navy shortly after WWII began. He had volunteered for submarine duty and spent the war at sea in the Pacific. In his own words, "In that kind of environment, I relied even more on my imagination and spent whatever spare time there was inventing and planning for the future."

An ambitious, penniless young boy from Italy, Antonio Pasin, like his grandfather and father, was an old-world wood craftsman. His dream was to own his own business in the Land of Opportunity.

By 1917 Pasin was handcrafting wooden wagons in a rented, one-room Chicago shop by night, and selling them by day out of a battered suitcase. He named his first wagon, the Liberty Coaster, after the Statue of Liberty. By 1930 Pasin had adopted the mass production technologies of the auto industry to create the first affordable steel wagon, earning him the nickname "Little Ford.” Inspired by the invention of the radio and the wonder of flight, Pasin named his company Radio Flyer.

David Miller’s 12 years as president of the Toy Industry Association and eight years as chairman of the International Council of Toy Industries resulted in fundamental changes in the way TIA members conduct business.
Miller’s career in the toy industry began in 1967 when he and his brother Richard founded Eden Toys. Together, they built the company into a leading manufacturer of infants’ and preschool stuffed toys for the department store and specialty market. The company won worldwide recognition with its licensed products: Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear.

In 1990 Miller became president of the Toy Manufacturers Association, which became TIA. As president, he pioneered national and international efforts to curry favor for accepting China into the World Trade Organization and granting it permanent Most Favored Nation status in the U.S. He was a vocal and effective advocate of NAFTA and zero tariffs for toys, and the hands-on programs he established became the template for safety and ethical manufacturing standards in the U.S. and around the world. He also played an important role in the development and success of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Toy Design Program.

Leadership, foresight and business acumen enabled Betty James to take a struggling company in 1945 and produce what would become one of the country's classic toys - the Slinky.

It was James who gave her husband’s 1943 invention it’s now world-recognized name, and it was James who took the corporate reins after her husband left James Industries to move to Bolivia. During her more than 50 years as president and CEO, she developed unique brand extensions of the Slinky toy, as well as expanded the company to include a variety of traditional children's playthings.

Best known as Madame Alexander, this American legend brought her dreams to life as the premier American doll maker of the 20th Century.

Behrman grew up in an apartment above her father’s doll hospital, and at the age of 28 began her own doll company. A leader in the industry, Behrman developed highly innovative products: in the 1930s she introduced the first dolls based on licensed characters; in the 1940s she unveiled the first dolls to have eyes that opened and closed; in 1947, using new technology, she oversaw the creation of the first dolls made of hard plastic; and in 1955, her company introduced Cissy, the first full-figured, high-heeled fashion doll, four years before the creation of Barbie. 

Behrman is recognized worldwide as an entrepreneur who revolutionized doll manufacturing in this country, and continues to serve as an inspiration for all those who follow in her path.

Recognizing fantasy and play as core elements of a successful toy company, Fred Ertl, Jr. masterfully combined these with farm replicas to grow the renowned Ertl Company, started by his father in 1945.

Ertl joined the company, then headquartered in the basement of his family’s Iowa home, at the young age of 15, and began taking on active management at 18 years old. His uncanny business savvy contributed to the company's early success in licensing and international market expansion. Ertl Company is best known for its die-cast metal alloy scale models of farm equipment and vehicles, and today are highly sought-after collectible items.   

Ertl’s leadership in toy safety helped generate an industry-wide shift, resulting in the development of the first toy safety standard. He also created the Toy Manufacturers of America Safety Standards Committee, and is recognized for his commitment to protecting children throughout the world.

Michael Goldstein had a long and notable career with Toys“R”Us. Between 1983 and 2001, he served as Chief Financial Officer, then Chief Executive Officer, until ultimately, being named Chairman.

As the leader of Toys“R”Us, Goldstein brought to the company innovative merchandising ideas, guiding its rise to the world’s largest retailer of children’s products. His unique marketing style and personal approach to business forged many partnerships with toy companies large and small.

Throughout Goldstein’s career at Toys“R”Us, children in need were always his top priority. Through his selfless charitable work with various children’s causes, he helped make a difference in the lives of many.

In 1967 Jeffrey Breslow, Howard Morrison and Rouben Terzian joined the legendary Marvin Glass and Associates, which marked the start of a 31-year collaboration that has led to the creation and design of some of the industry’s most successful toy and game products.

As president and CEO of Tonka Toys from 1961 to 1977, Russ Wenkstern brought the company, which in 1952 had one small factory in a schoolhouse, to worldwide prominence by 1974. He turned Tonka into the largest volume manufacturer of vehicles of any type in the world, and insisted that Tonka trucks be the safest and most durable toys of their time, a tradition that continues today.

Since entering the toy industry in 1972, Thomas Kalinske has helped build many successful brands and companies.

Kalinske has served as president and/or CEO of several major toy companies, including Mattel from 1985 and 1987, Universal Matchbox Group from 1987 to 1990, Sega of America from 1990 to 1996, and Leapfrog Enterprises from 1997 to 2006. At Mattel, Kalinske oversaw the transformation of Barbie and Hot Wheels into major international brands, as well as Mattel’s foray into the preschool toy market. He successfully restructured Universal Matchbox and rebuilt the Matchbox brand while at the company’s helm, and during his tenure at Sega, Kalinske was instrumental in instituting an industry-wide video game rating system. He also established the Sega Foundation, which supports children’s health and education organizations.   

A respected consumer electronics veteran and entrepreneur, Kalinske sat on the board of directors of Toy Manufacturers of America for 12 years.

A legendary merchandiser, Howard Moore has had a major influence on the way toy companies develop and market their products.

He joined Toys“R”Us in 1984 as Executive Vice President and General Merchandise Manager. His focus on strategic planning, product selection and merchandising helped the company flourish. Between 1984 and 1990, when Moore retired, sales increased from $480 million to $4.8 billion. He sat on the Toys“R”Us Board of Directors from 1984 until 2000.

In addition to his notable contributions at Toys“R”Us, Moore is honored for his entrepreneurism. He founded Moore’s Toy Stores, Toy Barn Stores and Toy Town, USA, which was eventually purchased by Lionel Corporation. He also established Howard Moore Associates, a consulting firm specializing in marketing, product licensing, packaging and merchandising.

Sy Ziv provided great assistance with the concept development of Toys“R”Us, and later had a major impact on the toy chain’s domestic and international growth. Throughout his 26-year career at Toys“R”Us, he made contributions to nearly every facet of the toy business. His guidance helped small companies stay in business and many manufacturers to achieve personal and corporate success.

A previous Fellow of Brandeis University, he served on the institution’s President’s Council and received the university’s 1980 Community Service Award.

Richard Grey joined his father’s sales and marketing firm in 1958, when its client Tyco was a small maker of model trains. Grey would go on to oversee the transformation of Tyco into a multi-million business.  
Named president of Tyco in 1973 and chairman in 1991, he led the company’s growth through product development, acquisitions and aggressive marketing, increasing sales from $20 million in 1973 to more than $800 million in 1997, when he retired. In 1992 Tyco became the third largest U.S. toymaker with a broad range of toys, including radio control cars, activity toys, games, Matchbox cars and preschool toys.

John Amerman was named CEO of Mattel in 1987, and proceeded to engineer a comprehensive program that turned the struggling company around in one year.

Amerman cut costs, reorganized management, and focused on internal product development, strategic acquisitions and international expansion. Under his leadership, Mattel attained record financial performance, and went on to become the world’s largest toy maker.

Thanks to Amerman’s emphasis on building core products, sales from the Barbie and Hot Wheels brands more than tripled during his tenure. In honor of Barbie's 30th anniversary in 1989, the doll made the cover of Smithsonian Magazine, and brand sales increased to almost half of the company’s $1.85 billion sales over the subsequent five years. Amerman also oversaw the exclusive licensing rights for several Disney movie character products, including Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and the Disney Princesses. In 1993, Amerman spearheaded the major acquisition of Fisher-Price. He retired in 1997, leaving a legacy of strengthening Mattel’s position as a worldwide toy industry leader.

With a firm commitment to corporate social responsibility, Alan Hassenfeld has led the successful family business he grew up in to new heights.

Hassenfeld officially began his career at Hasbro in 1970, and proceeded to work his way up the ranks of the business established by his grandfather in 1923. As former chairman and CEO of Hasbro, Hassenfeld has diversified the company’s portfolio of companies and expanded international operations while initiating a singular brand of corporate activism designed to improve the lives of children. He is co-chair of the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Advisory Council, has served as chairman of Families First, and has led joint efforts by corporate executives and elected officials to end childhood hunger.

Over the course of four decades, Aaron Locker became the heart and soul of Toy Manufacturers of America and the institutional memory of its board of directors. As general counsel to TMA, his name became synonymous with product safety as he guided the association through the maze of government regulation. His forceful and articulate advocacy of members’ interests helped to establish the American toy industry’s leadership role worldwide.

Over the course of four decades, Aaron Locker became the heart and soul of Toy Manufacturers of America and the institutional memory of its board of directors. As general counsel to TMA, his name became synonymous with product safety as he guided the association through the maze of government regulation. His forceful and articulate advocacy of members’ interests helped to establish the American toy industry’s leadership role worldwide.

Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets, not only revolutionized televised puppetry but created a cast of characters that continue to touch the lives of children around the world.

Early in his career, Henson began experimenting with new puppetry techniques. At a time when most puppets were carved out of wood, Henson began crafting his characters from flexible, fabric-covered foam rubber to give his puppets a greater range of expression. While most marionettes’ arms were controlled by string, Henson used rods to increase his puppets’ mobility, and coordinated their mouth movements with the dialogue to further imbue his characters with life-like qualities. 

Kermit the Frog, performed by Henson, made his first appearance in 1954 in a televised puppet show called Sam and Friends, which Henson created as a high school freshman. In 1969 he was asked to join Sesame Street, where the beloved characters of Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, and Big Bird came to life. In 1976 the Muppet Show aired, introducing Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great and Fozzie Bear.
Henson was not only a visionary puppeteer but also an Oscar-nominated film director and an Emmy Award-winning television producer. He is honored as both himself and Kermit the Frog on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Bernard Loomis was a toy developer and marketer, known for his work promoting Chatty Cathy, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears and Star Wars. During his notable career, Loomis worked for the toy industry giants: Mattel, General Mills and Hasbro. Each business became the world’s largest toy company during Loomis’ tenure there.

He brought to market an incomparable portfolio of blockbuster toy hits. While at Mattel, in 1968 he became the first to develop a TV cartoon based on a toy line – Hot Wheels.  At General Mills, Loomis helped develop The Six Million Dollar Man, Play-Doh and Baby Alive, and had the foresight to pursue licensing for a Star Wars toy line. He marketed an “early bird” Star Wars set by selling empty boxes at Christmas with the promise that customers would be the first to receive the toys once production was complete. An extraordinary marketer, he proved that breaking rules was often the best rule of all.

While at the helm of Fisher-Price, Henry Coords is credited with enhancing the company’s reputation for quality and play value, and establishing the business as an international leader in the toy industry.

Coords led the company for 14 years, and oversaw a marked increase in factory construction and employee hiring to keep pace with Fisher-Price’s soaring sales. In 1966 the business brought in $25 million in sales. By 1980, revenue had reached $300 million. 

Stephen Hassenfeld devoted his life to the firm founded by his family, building Hasbro into the largest toy manufacturer in the world. With vision, dedication and a gift for managing the talents of others, he expanded the company’s broad product spectrum through astute acquisitions and bolstered new toy lines with unrivaled marketing expertise.

Hassenfeld took control of Hasbro after the death of his father in 1980. In an eight-year time span, Hassenfeld increased Hasbro’s profitability from $102.3 million to $1.3 billion. Forbes Magazine rated Hasbro number one in a thousand-corporation survey of increased value during the first half of the 20th century. Hassenfeld also oversaw the acquisition of Milton Bradley in 1984.

A passionate believer in giving back to the community, in 1983 he established the Hasbro Children’s Foundation and Hasbro Charitable Trust, helping to improve children’s quality of life for generations to come.

Charles Lazarus, founder of Toys“R”Us, Inc., thought of a new retailing format and changed the way baby goods were sold in the U.S., and the world. He opened his first store in 1948 and added toys in response to customer requests.

Inspired by the food supermarkets concepts, he opened self-service, cash only, bring your own bags or boxes, along with low prices and a large selection. He copied the grocery store concept, including large rolling carts and no delivery.

Importantly, he learned from his customers that toys would be bought year round, not just Christmas, and new babies got new toys.

According to Lazarus, the real basis for success is, in addition to constantly thinking ahead, is to listen to the customers.

When Atlantic City threatened to change the names of its Baltic and Mediterranean Avenues in the 1970s, Edward Parker sprang to eloquent defense of his company’s best-selling Monopoly game, which features squares named after real estate in the seashore resort.

When the world monetary crisis reached Denmark in the 1930’s, Ole Kirk Christiansen, a rural carpenter, struggled to make ends meet. Sensing an ever-present demand for children’s products, he began crafting wooden toys. 

Those toys were the foundation on which LEGO was built. Christiansen established the company in 1934, naming his venture after the Danish words “Leg Godt,” meaning “play well.” Christensen ran his factory using the motto “only the best is worthy,” and his toys soon earned a worldwide reputation for quality. In the 1940s the company began producing plastic toys, initiating a move toward the LEGO bricks that we know and love today.    

In 1945 Elliot Handler and his business partner Matt Matson founded Mattel, named by combining “Matt” and “Elliot.” Their original product was not toys, however, but picture frames. When the dollhouses that Handler and Matson built from frame scraps began to sell better than the frames, Mattel became a dedicated toy manufacturer.

Elliot’s wife Ruth played an instrumental role in propelling the business to fame and fortune. After seeing their daughter Barbara pretend that her paper dolls were adults, in 1959 she created a 3-dimensional doll with an adult body and named it Barbie, after her daughter. It took some convincing the Mattel executives, but after they ran TV ads for Barbie during Disney’s new Mickey Mouse Club television show, sales shot through the roof.       

One of the most talented toy promoters the industry has ever seen, Ben Michtom propelled the Ideal Toy and Novelty Company, started by his father after inventing the Teddy Bear, to the forefront of the industry.

One of the first to make use of licensed products, Michtom inspired the rage for the Shirley Temple doll in the early 1970s. Upon perfecting the celebrity formula, he saw to the success of many other personality dolls, including Deanna Durbin, Fanny Brice, Charlie McCarthy and Judy Garland. The Toni doll - whose fashions were designed by a dozen Paris couturiers and documented in imaginative advertising - also became a huge sensation, as well as a textbook example of a product within a product.

A board member of Toy Manufacturers of America and chairman of the Publicity Committee, Michtom also headed the Doll Association and Stuffed Toy Association for many years. Tireless in his efforts to promote the toy industry, he will be remembered for his trademark enthusiasm and originality.

As executive director of Toy Manufacturers of America, Walter Armatys served the industry trade association with professionalism, honor and meticulous attention to detail. He managed the Toy Fair in New York for many years, was instrumental in setting up the TMA safety and logistics seminars, and handled organization of the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. After retiring he continued as secretary of the International Council of Toy Industries. In 30 years of service to the association and the industry he loved, he demonstrated how considerable the contributions of an individual can be.

Morey Kasch devoted nearly 40 years of his life to his toy business, which bears not only his name but also the unmistakable imprint of a true entrepreneur and innovator. Customer needs were always the highest priority at M.W. Kasch Company. Kasch designed special programs to meet specific requirements, including individualized product mix, customized promotions and speedy delivery. Under his leadership, the company pioneered data processing and materials handling networks among wholesalers and even shared its knowledge with competitors setting up their own inventory maintenance systems. A consummate wholesaler, Kasch added a rich and memorable chapter to the history of the toy industry.

With a rare genius for solving complex problems, James Shea took the helm of the faltering Milton Bradley Company and navigated it through worldwide economic crises to a position of eminence among game makers.

Taking advantage of the advent of television, in 1959 Shea oversaw the release of Concentration, a memory game based on an NBC television show of the same name. Over the course of his 30-year-tenure at the company, he also introduced such classic games as The Game of Life, Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders and Twister.

Business was but one of his passions; Shea also was dedicated to civic and philanthropic activities, and served as an outstanding example of responsibility and humanity in the toy industry.

The millions of children who have enjoyed Lionel trains have Joshua Cowen, co-founder of Lionel Corporation, to thank.

Cowen built his first toy train at the age of seven by attaching a small motor under a railroad flatcar model. However, his early career focused on producing flash lamps and fuses. It wasn’t until 1901 when Cowen sold his first electric train to a store owner to use as a window display that the trains took off. After numerous customer requests to purchase the display, the store owner returned the next day to order more trains. By the following year, Lionel was primarily a toy train manufacturer.

Cowen was well on his way to becoming the undisputed tycoon of the electric toy train industry. Lionel replicas, paralleling the growth and development of U.S. railroads, became the classic of toy trains and accessories, garnering admiration from model railroaders around the world for quality construction and authentic detailing. In 2006 Lionel’s electric train, together with the Easy Bake Oven, became the first electric toys to be inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Lionel remains the most enduring model train brand name in the country, and its products are cherished by collectors around the globe. 

Walt Disney was a pioneer, innovator and folk hero of the 20th century. His worldwide popularity is based on the ideals that his name represents: imagination, optimism and self-made success in the American tradition.

Together with his brother Roy he established Disney Brothers Studios in 1923, which over the decades grew from a small cartoon studio into the multi-billion dollar entertainment powerhouse it is today. Licensed merchandising began in 1929 with Disney’s first character sensation, Mickey Mouse, who first appeared on children’s writing tablets, then on children’s handkerchiefs and in doll form. Merchandising continued for Disney’s feature productions: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, released in 1937, was the first-ever feature-length animated film, followed by Pinocchio(1940), Fantasia (1940),  Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady in the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and 101 Dalmatians (1961). In all, Disney produced more than 100 feature films.

Disney characters and the countless toys and children’s products they have inspired have become ingrained in American childhood, and have left a lasting mark on the toy industry at large.

How different the world of games might be if George Parker had followed his youthful ambition to become a journalist.

But in the late 1800s he turned his attentions to the toy industry. Believing that instead of emphasizing morals, games could be played for mere enjoyment, Parker’s designs were a marked divergence from traditional parlor games. He designed his first card game at the age of 16, and established his first company in 1883. Five years later, his brother joined the business and Parker Brothers was formed. 

The company grew to be highly profitable in the early 1900s with its card games, jigsaw puzzles and Ping Pong, for which it purchased the rights in the 1920s. While many languished during the Great Depression, Parker Brothers experienced its greatest Hits: Monopoly, launched in 1935.

Around the turn of the century, Charles Raizen took a summer job with an embroidery pattern manufacturer. While there, he discovered a unique way of transferring images using friction, which eventually became more popular as a toy than an embroidery pattern. In 1917, Raizen bought out the business and became president of the newly named Transogram company.  

Raizen established one of the first toy designer think-tanks, called the Toy Research Institute. He employed a child psychologist to aid in product testing and was the first to tout his products as “kid-tested” toys. The public's fascination with the Dionne quintuplets in the early 1930's gave rise to one of Transogram's best-remembered items - The Little Country Doctor and Nurse Kit, inspired by Dr. Daniel Defoe. A later introduction, Trik-Trac, was also an immediate best-seller.

One of the industry's most memorable figures, Ray Wagner was a rare blend of magnetism and talent, playing all his roles in the world of toys with brilliance and style. Major retail experience at Sears paved the way to his success at Mattel, where he was president from 1973 to 1983. The sustained success of such lines as Barbie, See ëN Say and numerous others reveal his creative, marketing and management skill, also broadly reflected in the many industry professionals whom he trained. Wagner served as chairman of Toy Manufacturers of America in 1981 and served as the association’s spokesperson on important issues.

A guiding force in the realm of preschool playthings, Herman Fisher co-founded Fisher-Price Toys in 1930, and served as president and chairman from then until 1969.

Launching a new venture under the cloud of the Great Depressing was bold, but the decision paid off: the company’s first manufactured toys proved highly popular at the American International Toy Fair and quickly captured consumers’ attention.  

From sales representative to president of CBS Toys, division of CBS Inc., Jerry Fryer’s career in the toy industry spanned a range of successful ventures. Fryer and his partner made the jump from sales to manufacturing by acquiring Samuel Gabriel Sons & Co. in 1950. His considerable entrepreneurial skill and knowledge of toys were evident as he expanded Gabriel Industries into a major corporation, adding other established names - such as Child Guidance, Creative Playthings, Gilbert, Gym-Dandy, Hubley, Ideal, Kohner and Wonder - into what would become CBS Toys.

One of this country’s toy industry pioneers, A.C. Gilbert was a man of originality and vision. He held more than 150 patents, and some of the toys he created and manufactured through the A.C. Gilbert Company - like the perennially popular Erector construction sets - have been enjoyed by generation after generation of children.

The A. C. Gilbert Company, established in 1909, initially sold magician’s supplies, Gilbert being a magician himself. Over the years, the company would manufacture items ranging from microscopes to military aircraft used in World War II, but Gilbert’s toys, including Meccano construction sets, toy trains, chemistry sets, and most notably the Erector sets, left an indelible mark on the industry.  

Considered to be one of the world’s foremost toy designers, Marvin Glass founded in 1941 the first, and what was to become the largest, toy design studio in the world — Marvin Glass and Associates, which churned out classics like Mr. Machine, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Lite Brite, Mouse Trap, Operation and Simon. 

Marvin Glass and Associates operated under a unique business model, whereby its designs and inventions were patented and licensed to manufacturers, who would pay running royalties. Glass wielded such industry clout that his company logo was printed on every game his employees invented and licensed.

Preeminent in the business of toy wholesaling, Nat Greenman devoted his entire adult life to the toy industry. With his two brothers, he joined his father’s enterprise as a teenager and went on to be a major force behind the growth of Greenman Brothers, Inc., one of the largest toy wholesalers in the United States. As the company’s chief merchant in its years of greatest development, he met and influenced many of the top figures from across the toy industry. Greenman often shared his views as an unofficial voice of wholesalers, helping to shape toy distribution policy in the industry’s formative years. His formula of "strength through efficiency" also helped lay the groundwork for his own firm to evolve over time into a successful multifaceted operation.

It was under the leadership of Merrill Hassenfeld, then-president of Hassenfeld Brothers (now Hasbro), that Mr. Potato Head, the first toy to be advertised on television, and G.I Joe, the industry’s first male action figure, were born.

Hassenfeld joined Hasbro in 1938 when the family business was still primarily producing school supplies. During World War II, he helped launch the company’s toy manufacturing arm with a line of doctor and nurse kits, and air raid warden’s sets. After the death of his father in 1943, Hassenfeld took the helm as president.

Louis Marx, nicknamed the “toy king of America,” owned Louis Marx and Company, the world’s largest toy manufacturing company in the 1950s and producer of iconic toys such as Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots and the Big Wheel tricycle, now in the National Toy Hall of Fame.

Marx enjoyed an auspicious start to his career. He graduated from high school at the age of 15, and by 20 was working as a plant manager for Ferdinand Strauss, a mechanical toy manufacturer. After serving two years in the army and another year as a salesman for a wooden toy manufacturer, where he increased company sales tenfold, Marx and his brother David established Louis Marx and Company in 1919. Three years later, at age 26, Marx was a millionaire. In 1955 he appeared on the cover of Time Magazine.