Rest In Play - 2020 - 2029

Amber Cook passed away unexpectedly on October 25, 2024. Amber's career was spent within the toy industry: she mostly worked behind-the-scenes roles in business development and branding for dozens ...of games. She worked for companies including Looney Labs, Asmodee Group, and Roll20. She was also involved in the re-launch of Free RPG Day, and was a founding member of the American Tabletop Awards. She was the fundraising co-hair for Rose Gauntlet Foundation, and was playing a crucial role in the rebranding of her partner's store, Games and Stuff. Amber leaves behind her partner, Paul Alexander Butler, and her six-year-old son, James. As Paul describes her, she was "one f the brightest, most selfless and hard-working people" and "a natural leader and a titan in the tabletop games industry." She was "a champion of misfits and underdogs, Amber made every room she was in safer for those around her, was outspoken in pursuit of justice no matter the personal cost, and was a testament to pursuing a career of passion without ego - working hard every day not only to support her son, but to make the world a bit more beautiful, and a bit more playful for everyone."Show more

Chris Wiggs, inventor of Polly Pocket, was born in 1950 and passed away on June 20th, 2024. He was 74. Chris came up with the idea for Polly Pocket in 1983 while visiting New York. When he returned... home to France, he went straight to his workshop and brought the concept to life for his daughter, Kate, using an old makeup powder compact. Kate recalls that her father making her things like this was a regular occurrence—"the most natural thing in the world," she called it. Polly Pocket wasn't anything more than Kate's plaything until 1989, when Chris rediscovered his creation and thought that he might be able to make something big. Soon, Bluebird Toys licensed the toys, and in the late 1990s, Mattel acquired both Bluebird Toys and Polly Pocket, and in its new home at Mattel, Polly Pocket became incredibly successful. Outside of inventing, Chris loved music and spending time with his family: his wife, Carolyn, his daughter, Kate, his son, Ben, and five grandchildren.Show more

Ranjit Kaur Dhutti passed away surrounded by her family on October 24, 2024 after a year-long illness. Ranjit began her career in the toy industry at Leap Frog, before moving to Spin Master in 2015.... She spent seven years there and played a role in the launch of numerous well-known brands including Hatchimals, Colleggtibles, and Purse Pets. In 2022, she joined MGA as a manager for LOL Surprise!, and immediately put her marketing skills to work with LOL Surprise! Magic Flyers, which were hugely successful and went on to win a DreamToys Award in 2023.Show more

Greg and Tim Hildebrandt, known professionally as the Brothers Hildebrandt, were born on January 23, 1939. Tim passed away on June 11, 2006, and Greg passed away on October 31, 2024. Greg and Tim s...tudied at the Meinzinger Art School and began painting professionally, together, in 1959. They are best known for their Lord of the Rings calendar illustrations, for illustrating comics for Marvel Comics Nd DC Comics, original oil paintings for a limited edition of Terry Brooks's The Sword of Shannara, and their Magic: The Gathering and Harry Potter illustrations for Wizards of the Coast. Tim won the 1992 World Fantasy Award for Best Artist. Greg won the 2010 Chesley Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement from the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. Both were awarded the Inkpot Award in 1995, and they were together awarded the Gold Medal by the Society of Illustrators.Show more

Mel Appel was born on May 9, 1930 and passed away on October 30, 2024 at the age of 94. Mel attended Arts High School in New Jersey and stayed close to home for college, attending Newark School of... Fine and Industrial Arts. After graduating, he began his nearly five-decade career as a toy designer. He created numerous toys, many of which captured his great sense of humor and fearless approach to design.Show more

Ace Edward Fogarty was born on July 30, 1944 and passed away on August 13, 2024 at the age of 80. He was the inventor of Glo Worm, among many other toys. He leaves behind his wife, Bonnie, and will be... dearly missed.Show more

Loren Hildebrand was born in 1939 and passed away on October 8, 2024. Loren attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and earned a degree in Economics before getting his MBA from the Universi...ty of Washington. After graduating, he joined Mattel, where he spent two and a half decades of his career. Rising through the ranks to eventually become Executive Vice President of Mattel Toys, Loren loved going to work every day. After 24 years, he joined Bandai to launch Toy Soldiers, afterwards joining Galoob, where he assisted in the launch of the Star Wars brand. Loren was also on a variety of boards and committees. He enjoyed watching sports, playing golf and tennis, hosting dinner parties, and spending time with his family. He will be deeply and dearly missed by all those that knew and loved him.Show more

Tim Brooke hunt passed away in September 2024 after a long illness. Tim was the former ABC head of children's and a founding partner of Kidscreen's Asian American Summit event. Tim was an accountan...t in London and graduated from UVA's Darden's School of Business with an MBA before moving to Australia in the 1970s. He got involved in the TV and film industry in 1983 and was very involved for the next 20 years in financing and producing animation. Tim joined ABC in 2007 as the executive head of children's content for ABC TV. He eventually became controller of children's in 2010. While in this position, he launched ABC3 for school-age kids and relaunched ABC4Kids, the preschool channel. He was also involved in the educational programs and online content for kids. He was the commissioner of many successful series during his tenure, including Dance Academy, My Place, Giggle & Hoot, Blinky Bill, Yakkity Yak, Old Tom, L'il Horrors and Dennis & Gnasher.Show more

Shukuo Ishikawa was born on April 15, 1955 and passed away on September 9, 2024 at the age of 69. He was formerly the president of Bandai Namco in the late 2000s. Shukuo joined Namco before they me...rged with Bandai, back in 1978. In 1988, he created the arcade game Gator Panic, and he also served as an executive producer on several games, including Soul Calibur, Xenosaga, and multiple Tales entries. When Bandai and Namco merged in 2005, Shukuo became the president of its games division, and in 2009 he was the president of Bandai Namco Holdings, which he held until 2018 when he became chairman instead. He stepped down from that position the following year. Shukuo is also credited with Bandai Namco's IP Axis Strategy, which was created in response to the company's post-merger struggles. It reportedly "significantly improved" the company's performance since Shukuo introduced it.Show more

John Cassaday was born on December 14, 1971 and passed away on December 9, 2024. He was a comic book artist, writer, and television director. John was a self-taught illustrator and actually studied... film in school. He broke into the comic book industry in 1994 with an illustration for Boneyard Press. At the 1996 Comic-Con in San Diego, he showed his portfolio to Mark Waid, who sent him to Jeff Mariotte. John and Jeff would go on to create the series Desperadoes together. In 1997, John was hired by DC and Marvel as an artist on Teen Titans, Flash, X-Mem/Alpha Flight, and Union Jack. In 1999, John and Warren Ellis created Planetary for WildStorm Productions. Afterwards, he worked on other titles for various publishers, including Gen13, Superman/Batman, The Hulk, and The Avengers. He worked on multiple Captain America projects, including an issue of Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America written by Jeph Loeb. John won three different Eisner Awards, the Wizard World Fan Award, an Eagle Award, and a Spike TV Scream Award. John's partner was Tara A. Martinez. John passed away from cardiac arrest at the age of 52.Show more