Louis Marx was born on August 11, 1896 in Brooklyn and died February 5, 1982 in White Plains. He started his career working for Ferdinand Strauss, a mechanical toy manufacturer. He would then enlist in the US Army as a private. This experience would form a passion that remained in his life long after returning to civilian life in 1918.

Following his military service, he went back to work selling for Newton and Thompson, redesigning their product line and increasing profits tenfold. From there he and his brother founded Louis Marx and Company, which went on to become a massive success from his keen mindset and experience. He was declared "Toy King of the World" in October 1937 in a London newspaper. By 1938, Marx employed 500 workers in the Dudley factory and 4000 in the American factories.

By 1951, the Marx company had 12 factories worldwide. For much of the 1950s, it was the largest toy manufacturer in the world, with much of the success coming from Sears, Roebuck & Co. catalog sales and the many themed playsets available. As World War II drew to a close, Marx had toured Europe and acted as a consultant on how toy manufacturing could aid reconstruction efforts. Marx used the contacts he made in this manner to forge partnerships and open factories in Europe and Japan. Marx was featured on the cover of Time magazine on December 12, 1955, with his portrait eclipsing an image of Santa Claus, while examples of his toys swirl in the background.