Marvin Glass and Associates was founded in 1941. Its founder, Marvin Glass, was an entrepreneur and the creative force behind Marvin Glass and Associates. His salesmanship and uncanny ability to spark creativity in the designers he employed was unparalleled. In 1949, he licensed a "novelty item" to H. Fishlove & Company called Yakity Yak Talking Teeth. This item was invented by Eddy Goldfarb, who worked with Marvin Glass for a very short time after World War II.
The first big hit for Marvin Glass was Mr. Machine, a toy invented by a former watchmaker named Leo Kripak. A child could take Mr. Machine apart and put him back together. It was licensed to Ideal Toys and became such a hit that Lionel Weintraub, its president, made it his company mascot and featured it in many of Ideal's early TV ads. The company became so successful that Marvin Glass got his company logo printed on every package for the items it invented and licensed.
The organization's general counsel, James F. Coffee, and accountant Ernest Sonderling, were the architects of the successful business model whereby the designs and inventions were patented and licensed to various toy companies and manufacturers who would pay running royalties based on sales. Outside counsel, chairman and founder of the Intellectual Property Department at McDermott Will & Emery, Robert J. Schneider, was responsible for procuring the patents and protecting them from infringement. Mr. Schneider is currently co-chair of the Intellectual Property Department of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP.[5]
Joseph M. Burck was a senior designer at Marvin Glass through the mid-1960s to early 1980s and invented or designed many of MGA's hottest items such as Inch Worm, Lite-Brite, Astrolite, Which Witch, Masterpiece, SSP Racers, Chu-Bops, and the Evel Knievel line of toys (Burck was Knievel's personal guest at the infamous Snake River Canyon jump.) Burck holds 10 US patents for items developed by MGA. Time Magazine named Lite-Brite one of the top 100 toys of all time.[6]
Marvin Glass died in 1974. Two years later, managing partner Anson Isaacson, partner Joseph Callan and designer Kathy Dunn were shot and killed and two others seriously wounded at the company's offices in Chicago. The perpetrator was 33-year old Albert Keller, a designer suffering from paranoid delusions who then killed himself.[7][8][9]
^Stephen Van Dulken, American Inventions: A History of Curious, Extraordinary, and Just Plain Useful Patents (NYU Press, 2004), ISBN978-0814788134, p. 38.Excerpts available at Google Books.
^Coopee, Todd (5 July 2021). "Mad Marbles from Lakeside (1970)". ToyTales.ca.
External linksedit
Video: WBBM Channel 2 Chicago News Feature story and interview of Marvin Glass (1972)
Working at the Marvin Glass Studio - Recollections of a Former Employee by Erick Erickson
Marvin Glass page at Boardgame Geek
Photo: Marvin Glass (center) won't unveil a new toy to a buyer unless he signs a promise not to copy it. Left, engineer John Parks of Glass's staff.
December 15, 2023
marvin, glass, associates, design, engineering, firm, based, chicago, marvin, glass, 1914, 1974, employees, created, some, most, successful, toys, games, twentieth, century, such, machine, rock, sock, robots, lite, brite, ants, pants, mouse, trap, operation, s. Marvin Glass and Associates MGA was a toy design and engineering firm based in Chicago Marvin Glass 1914 1974 and his employees created some of the most successful toys and games of the twentieth century such as Mr Machine Rock Em Sock Em Robots Lite Brite Ants in the Pants 1 Mouse Trap Operation Simon Body Language and the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle 2 3 4 Simon one of numerous games designed by Marvin Glass and Associates Contents 1 History 2 Designs by manufacturer 2 1 Unknown 2 2 Amurol 2 3 Aurora 2 4 Cardinal 2 5 Fisher Price Toys 2 6 Gilbert 2 7 Hasbro 2 8 Hubley 2 9 Ideal 2 10 Irwin 2 11 Kenner 2 12 Lakeside 2 13 Marx 2 14 Matchbox 2 15 Mattel 2 16 Milton Bradley 2 17 Parker Brothers 2 18 Schaper Toys 2 19 Whitman 3 References 4 External linksHistory editMarvin Glass and Associates was founded in 1941 Its founder Marvin Glass was an entrepreneur and the creative force behind Marvin Glass and Associates His salesmanship and uncanny ability to spark creativity in the designers he employed was unparalleled In 1949 he licensed a novelty item to H Fishlove amp Company called Yakity Yak Talking Teeth This item was invented by Eddy Goldfarb who worked with Marvin Glass for a very short time after World War II The first big hit for Marvin Glass was Mr Machine a toy invented by a former watchmaker named Leo Kripak A child could take Mr Machine apart and put him back together It was licensed to Ideal Toys and became such a hit that Lionel Weintraub its president made it his company mascot and featured it in many of Ideal s early TV ads The company became so successful that Marvin Glass got his company logo printed on every package for the items it invented and licensed The organization s general counsel James F Coffee and accountant Ernest Sonderling were the architects of the successful business model whereby the designs and inventions were patented and licensed to various toy companies and manufacturers who would pay running royalties based on sales Outside counsel chairman and founder of the Intellectual Property Department at McDermott Will amp Emery Robert J Schneider was responsible for procuring the patents and protecting them from infringement Mr Schneider is currently co chair of the Intellectual Property Department of Taft Stettinius amp Hollister LLP 5 Joseph M Burck was a senior designer at Marvin Glass through the mid 1960s to early 1980s and invented or designed many of MGA s hottest items such as Inch Worm Lite Brite Astrolite Which Witch Masterpiece SSP Racers Chu Bops and the Evel Knievel line of toys Burck was Knievel s personal guest at the infamous Snake River Canyon jump Burck holds 10 US patents for items developed by MGA Time Magazine named Lite Brite one of the top 100 toys of all time 6 Marvin Glass died in 1974 Two years later managing partner Anson Isaacson partner Joseph Callan and designer Kathy Dunn were shot and killed and two others seriously wounded at the company s offices in Chicago The perpetrator was 33 year old Albert Keller a designer suffering from paranoid delusions who then killed himself 7 8 9 MGA was contracted by Bally Midway to design coin operated video games during the 1980s Some of the games produced by MGA during this era include Tapper Domino Man and Timber The company continued in operation until 1988 Several partners from Marvin Glass and Associates subsequently started Chicago based Big Monster Toys Designs by manufacturer editUnknown edit 1969 Sketch a ToonAmurol edit 1980 Chu BopsAurora edit 1972 Skittle Horseshoes 1973 Flip ItCardinal edit 1969 Finders KeepersFisher Price Toys edit 1988 SmoocheesGilbert edit 1965 James Bond 007 Action Toys 1965 American Flyer All Aboard SetsHasbro edit 1963 Ambush 1967 That Kid Doll 1967 Lite Brite 1969 AstroLite Astro Sound 1971 Inchworm Alley Up 1973 Super Sunday Football 10 1974 Ricochet Racers 1988 C O P s and CrooksHubley edit 1962 Golferino See also Milton Bradley Ideal edit 1960 Mr Machine 1961 Robot Commando 1962 Gaylord Bop the Beetle King Zor 1963 Mouse Trap 1964 Crazy Clock 1965 Fish Bait 1964 Clancy the Great 1965 Tigeroo Bike Siren 1966 Babysitter Game 1967 Careful 1968 Little Lost Baby 1969 Ants in the Pants 1970 Mr Mad 1973 Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle 1977 Mister Rogers Neighborhood Puppets amp Trolley 1985 Rocks Bugs and Things 1959 Tic Toy ClockIrwin edit 1963 Dandy the Lion 1964 Interior Decorator SetKenner edit 1970 The Wall Walker 11 1970 SSP 1971 Smash Up Derby 1972 Blythe Doll 1975 Hugo Man of Thousand FacesLakeside edit 1970 Brink Ball 1970 Mad Marbles 12 Marx edit 1961 Great Garloo 1963 Penny the Poodle 1964 Rock Em Sock Em Robots 1964 Perils of Pauline board game 1972 Bops n Robbers 1973 Silly SammyMatchbox edit 1972 Big M X 1974 Fighting Furies pirate action figuresMattel edit 1961 PopZaBallMilton Bradley edit 1963 Jungle Hunt 1964 Time Bomb 1965 Mystery Date 1966 Mosquito game 1967 Fang Bang 1968 Sand Lot Slugger Bucket of Fun 1969 Dynamite Shack 1970 Snoopy and the Red Baron Which Witch 1971 Stay Alive 1974 Body Language 1974 Trip Hammer 1979 SIMONParker Brothers edit 1968 Situation 4 1970 Mind Maze Rattle Battle The Tiny Tim of Beautiful Things Twiddler 1971 Gnip Gnop Masterpiece 1974 Tug BoatSchaper Toys edit 1963 King of the Hill 1966 Thing Ding 1967 Clean Sweep 1968 Big Mouth 1969 Ants in the Pants 1972 Don t Blow Your Top 1974 Jack Be NimbleWhitman edit 1969 Humor RumorReferences edit https thirdcoastreview com 2022 10 22 interview making fun jeffrey breslows 30 years of toy and game making Sharon M Scott Toys and American Culture An Encyclopedia ABC CLIO 2010 ISBN 978 0313351112 pp 131 132 Excerpts available at Google Books Stephen Van Dulken American Inventions A History of Curious Extraordinary and Just Plain Useful Patents NYU Press 2004 ISBN 978 0814788134 p 38 Excerpts available at Google Books Glass still makes toys at age 57 UPI in Hendersonville Times News April 22 1971 Taft starts adding lawyers following Shefsky merger January 2014 All TIME 100 Greatest Toys TIME Chicago Man Kills 3 Shoots Himself UPI in Milwaukee Journal July 28 1976 Jaume Glenn 2017 06 04 The History of Mouse Trap Murder Playboys and Plagiarism Best Play Retrieved 2021 12 17 Palladium Item Richmond Indiana 29 Jul 1976 Thu Page 25 Palladium Item 1976 07 29 p 25 Retrieved 2021 12 17 Vintage 1973 HASBRO SUPER SUNDAY FOOTBALL GAME IN BOX COMPLETE MINT MEGA RARE 1847499692 Worthpoint Retrieved 2020 12 02 The Wall Walker By Kenner 1971 533941933 Worthpoint Retrieved 2020 12 02 Coopee Todd 5 July 2021 Mad Marbles from Lakeside 1970 ToyTales ca External links editVideo WBBM Channel 2 Chicago News Feature story and interview of Marvin Glass 1972 Working at the Marvin Glass Studio Recollections of a Former Employee by Erick Erickson Marvin Glass page at Boardgame Geek Photo Marvin Glass center won t unveil a new toy to a buyer unless he signs a promise not to copy it Left engineer John Parks of Glass s staff Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Marvin Glass and Associates amp oldid 1189907905, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
