Beloved Industry Veteran Art Janis Passes Away at Age 71

March 1, 2021 | WowWee announced the passing of its executive vice president of sales and toy industry veteran Art Janis last week.

“Artie has been key figure not just in WowWee’s trajectory since the early 2000’s, but on a more personal level, my own development as a toy industry professional,” said Andrew Yanofsky, director of marketing & operations at WowWee. “My first trade shows and sales calls were all shepherded by Art. He taught me so much and I owe him a lot. I’m deeply saddened by his passing, but take comfort knowing that the impact he had on WowWee’s culture will endure for many years to come.”

During his 25 years with WowWee, Janis worked closely with the company’s co-founders, Richard and Peter Yanofsky, along with Eric Lau, president and general manager of WowWee’s Hong Kong division. He was 71 and is survived by his wife Marina, a sister, and extended WowWee family.

In an open letter to the industry on his passing, Richard Yanofsky also said of Janis, “You were there from the very beginning, always positive, always smiling, always honest, always giving it your all … one of the “goodest” souls we have ever encountered. Your loyalty to anyone you called friend was unwavering, you have always been our shining example of what it means to be decent, caring, and most of all real. We have so many loving memories of how you helped build and touch all our lives, including the succession of WowWee itself with the large fingerprint you have left both generationally on our family and everyone within our organization. We suspect the reason why your heart gave out is because you have given it to so many of us — it is the reason why you will never ever be out of our thoughts and out of our lives.”