Stan Lee, Former Marvel Comics Chairman & Pop Culture Icon Passes Away at 95

November 13, 2018 | The Toy Association and its members mourn the passing of pop culture icon Stan Lee, the former chairman of Marvel Comics and an inductee into this year’s Toy Industry Hall of Fame. Lee, 95, passed away on November 12 in Los Angeles, CA.

Lee leaves behind a legacy of popular comic book superheroes and characters – including the co-creation of Spiderman, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, X-Men, and many other prominent characters – many of which made it onto the big screen and into the toy aisle as beloved action figures and other toys. 

Lee mentored countless creators of characters, motion pictures, and toys and led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation now owned by Disney. He headed the first major successful challenge to the industry's censorship organization, the Comics Code Authority, leading to policy reform. In 2010, Lee founded the Stan Lee Foundation to support programs and ideas that improve access to literacy resources, as well as promote diversity, national literacy, culture, and the arts.

The Toy Association named Stan Lee as one of the 2019 Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductees. Lee joins an impressive roster of 76 toy industry luminaries both living and post-humous who were selected for their significant contributions to the industry and the impact they have had on the lives of children. 

“The imagination of Stan Lee touched lives around the globe for generations, while the creative magic he has spun through will live on forever,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Toy Association. “Stan understood so well that entertainment and play are vital to the human soul. As we prepare to induct Stan into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame this February, it will still be a celebration, but we will dearly miss a true superhero in the galaxy of entertainment and toys. Excelsior!”

The 2019 Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at the upcoming Toy of the Year Awards gala, taking place on February 15 in New York City.