Rest In Play - 2020 - 2029

1945 - 2020 The doll world lost a renowned and beloved artist Oct. 14 with the death of Dianna Effner due to cancer. Born in 1945, Effner began designing and making porcelain dolls in the late 1970...s, designing for a variety of manufacturers as well as producing and finishing dolls herself. Many of her designs have been released as vinyl dolls, but she is best-known for her porcelain dolls and her work as a mentor for other artists. She and her family established Expressions in 1992 to produce doll molds for the hobby, allowing other artists to reproduce her designs in porcelain. She also founded the Doll Dreamers Guild as part of her ongoing support of aspiring artists. Her designs continue to be popular with collectors and artists today. Read more about Effner’s remarkable career as a doll artist in this 2017 feature story from DOLLS magazine https://dollsmagazine.com/doll-world-mourns-renowned-artist-dianna-effner/Show more

The toy industry is saddened by the sudden loss of Bryan G. Stockton, former chairman and CEO of Mattel, and past chairman of the Toy Association board of directors. Stockton joined Mattel in 2000 ...as executive vice president of business planning and development, eventually moving up to CEO (2012-2015) and chairman (2013-2015). Stockton died in a car accent alongside his friend, attorney Peter Devereaux. “We are saddened by the news of Bryan’s sudden passing,” says Ynon Kreiz, chairman and CEO of Mattel. “The entire Mattel community joins me in sending our deepest condolences to his family. Bryan was a beloved leader at Mattel whose many contributions to the toy industry will live on for years to come.” Since leaving Mattel in 2015, Stockton explored his love of classic cars, music, and photography, the latter of which took increasing focus in recent years. “I served many board chairmen during my 45-year career, and Bryan was one of the most highly professional,” says Carter Keithley, former president & CEO of The Toy Association. “He was the very model of a successful MBA in action, and he combined that professionalism with energy, creativity, and grace. He had a lot left to give the world, and we are in a poorer place without him.” Stockton was also a member of the board of Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, served as chairman of World Trade Week Southern California, and served as a member of the President’s Advisory Council at Otis College of Art & Design. He served on the executive and strategic planning committees of UCLA Anderson School Board of Visitors and served on the Board of Directors of the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games Los Angeles. Additionally, both Stockton and Devereaux served on the board for the United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara Counties (UCPLA). Read More here https://toybook.com/bryan-g-stockton-obituary/Show more

Roger Shiffman - Co-Founder, Tiger Electronics (Furby) - 10-3-20 Roger Shiffman was perfectly cast as the public face of a toy company, Tiger Electronics Inc., maker of Furby, Giga Pets and other hi...ts of the 1980s and 1990s. He had a jungle of curly brown hair and a cherubic expression that prompted the Chicago Tribune to describe him as a grown-up kid. He also had an insight early in his career: Toys and electronics were merging. In 1978, Mr. Shiffman helped found Tiger in a Chicago suburb. Starting with Mickey Mouse record players, Tiger teamed up with Hong Kong partners to make hand-held electronic games, often tied to movies. Furby, a talking furball with its own language (Furbish), sent parents into a desperate chase for scarce merchandise in the late 1990s. Hasbro Inc. bought Tiger in 1998 for $335 million and kept Mr. Shiffman as president of the business for three years. He survived surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2002 and celebrated by treating family and friends to a “Grateful I’m Not Dead” trip to Disney World, where his wife, Carol Shiffman, was inducted as an honorary Mouseketeer. Three years later he helped found another company, the short-lived Zizzle Toys. Mr. Shiffman died Sept. 5 of mesothelioma at his home in Highland Park, Ill. He was 67.Show more

Brian Goldner - Past Chairman And CEO, Hasbro Mr. Goldner, 58, joined Hasbro in 2000 and was quickly recognized as a visionary in the industry. He was appointed CEO in 2008 and became Chairman of t...he Board in 2015. He was instrumental in transforming the Company into a global play and entertainment leader, architecting a strategic Brand Blueprint to create the world’s best play and storytelling experiences. Through his tireless work ethic and unwavering focus, he expanded the Company beyond toys and games into television, movies, digital gaming and beyond, to ensure Hasbro’s iconic brands reached every consumer. The culmination of his pioneering strategy was the 2019 acquisition of independent entertainment studio eOne. Mr. Goldner served on the Board of Directors of ViacomCBS and was the Chair of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Goldner and his wife Barbara were passionate advocates for improving systems of care for vulnerable members of society. Edward M. Philip, Lead Independent Director of Hasbro’s Board of Directors, said “Brian’s passing is a tremendous loss for Hasbro and the world. Brian was universally admired and respected in the industry, and throughout his over twenty years at Hasbro, his inspiring leadership and exuberance left an indelible mark on everything and everyone he touched. A mentor and friend to so many, his passion and creativity took Hasbro to new heights. Our love and thoughts are with his wife, daughter, and family during this extraordinarily sad time.”Show more

Co-Founder Theora Design Ora Coster is an Israeli game designer and co-founder along with Theo Coster, husband, of Theora Design. a family business which specializes in toys, games, crafts, and nov...elties. While a teenager Ora served in the Israeli Army during the 1948 Independence War, studied Stage Design in the UK, and became an art teacher, Theo was graduating from college, serving in the The Netherlands’ military and then became a printing apprentice. After running his family’s printing house in Amsterdam for three years, he took a motored bicycle journey over 3,000 miles to Turkey, from where he sailed to Israel and met Ora in 1955. They were married two years later. Since 1965, Theora Design, founded in Tel Aviv, has created and licensed over 160 toy, game, craft and novelty concepts worldwide. In 1981 and 1993 respectively, Ora and Theo’s sons, Boaz and Gideon, joined the team, specializing in marketing and advanced technologies. Boaz’s wife Aliza Coster, (CPA) provides Theora with financial services. Sadly we lost Ora in July of 2021and Theo in 2019.Show more

Inventor Of The Game Of Life And More! Born in 1922 in Canton, OH, Reuben Klamer is an inventor and innovator both of toys and games and has licensed over 200 products. He is best known for inventi...ng The Game of Life in 1959, after being given the opportunity to do so by Milton Bradley. Just a few of his other inventions include the Spin-A-Hoop, 1-2-3 Roller Skates, Gaylord the Walking Dog and Busy Blocks. He is a veteran of the Navy. Klamer has received many awards, most notably including: A Member of Hasbro's Inventors Hall of Fame in 2000, Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2005, and TAGIE Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.Show more

RIP Jon Seisa, Gifted Artist, Illustrator And Designer With A Colorful And Animated Personality (from Jon's brother) It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our brother Jon Seisa o...f Long Beach, Calif. Jon passed away on April 16, 2021 at the age of 65. In early childhood you could see that Jon was no ordinary child. As kids we would set up the garage to look like a doctor’s office. We got bed sheets and draped them to cover dad’s work bench and walls. We would set up this hospital bed and put all kinds of strange things underneath the bed. Jon portrayed the “Mad Doctor”, while his brother, Rick, was the terrified patient. We’d invite the neighborhood kids to come watch the performance. It was hilarious and amusing to watch the neighborhood kids’ reactions, seeing Jon pulling out work tools, toys and all kinds of other different objects from his brother’s stomach. The neighborhood kids were scared, they thought it was REAL. What a BLAST it was! He was an animated character, hence his path was predestined. Jon was a gifted artist, illustrator and designer with a colorful and animated personality. In 1973 he attended Santa Ana College. While there he designed a large aquatic theme park, Magic Marina for an environmental design thesis. From 1976-1983 he was the Lead Art Director for Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, CA. While there, he worked with such renowned Disney artists and designers as Ward Kimball, Ken Anderson and Hollywood art director Harper Goff. In 1985 he took his many talents to Mattel, Inc. and helped create and launch some of their toy and doll product lines, including the Barbie Classique Collection. After seven years with Mattel, Inc., he then decided to venture out on his own as an independent Freelance Art Director. Jon is survived by his brother Rick and sister Debbie, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He will be deeply missed and will always live in our hearts. (Thank you Marcia Reece for letting us know.)Show more

RIP Gerry Crown... The Kingdom Of The Heart The Crown Has Fallen Lyn, all Crowns, Audrey, Family, Friends, Fans, Colleagues, … We lost the Crown, yet inherited a Kingdom… No, we did no...t inherit it last Sunday, the morning Gerry passed away, No, we, all of us, have been inheriting it for years, for decades, No, it is not a Kingdom of Jewels, Territories, or Subordinates. It is the Kingdom Of The Heart… Heart full of love, devotion, and admiration for you, Lyn, Heart full of care for his daughters Geraldine, Frances, Patricia and their families, Heart full of loyalty to Audrey and the employees, Heart full of pioneering, adventuring and aspiration while setting records in private life and business, Heart full of friendship with so many and for so many years, Heart full of unconditional generosity and charity, without expecting reciprocity. Heart full of bravery, persistence, and endurance in combating monstrous races with Matt, Heart full of warm hospitality and an open house in your Sydney home, for so many including Margreeth, Jochanan, Naomi, Jair and myself. Heart never too old and always curious to learn new techniques, ways of communication and history, Heart full of honesty, relativity, and charm, like rejecting John the buyer’s request for a discount simply declaring it would reduce Crown and Andrews’ profit… Heart full of humor and rolling laughter while telling or listening to a good fake or real joke, like the one about departing tipsy from a yearly river fishing party, some distance away, taking the wrong car home, finding, some days later a trunk full of stinking rotten fish, Heart full of indiscriminate respect for the “Nobless and the Penniless”, Heart full of patience, understanding and forgiveness, like in the recorded video conversation I was privileged to have had with Gerry last September. We had to redo it three times: Instead of forty-five minutes it was spread over many hours and days due to our digital illiteracy… How fortunate we all have been, Lyn, you naturally, the most, the daughters and Audrey, to share, witness and benefit from that gigantic heart. Even a tiny pinch of this inspiring inheritance made us all very very rich, Gerry’s heart stopped beating but the beat will resonate and be carried on by all who knew him. In name of the Goliath Group and the Golad family, thank you Gerry, thank you Lyn, thank you Audrey, thank you all the Crowns for sharing the Kingdom of The Heart with us. -Adi Golad, Founder and Managing Director, Goliath Group (Netherlands) To read more lovely tributes, visit this page www.chitag.com/single-post/gerry-crown-the-kingdom-of-the-heartShow more