The Jewish History of the Toy, Game, Pinball, and Video Game Industries

Before the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries, Germany was the leading maker of handcrafted wooden toys. By the mid-1800s, an industrialized Nuremberg had become a major manufacturing hub for toys.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Jews found relative freedom in Nuremberg, founding businesses such as Gebruder Bing, the world’s largest toy and games company at the time. Started by two Jewish brothers in 1863, Bing was known for its model trains and steam-powered toys.

Before the rise of the Nazi Party in the 1930s, Jewish firms J.W. Spear & Söhne and Tipp and Company produced puzzles, mechanical toys, and other playthings. The Nazi government removed non-Aryan owners and leaders from dozens of companies, devastating the German toy industry.

Before the rise of the Nazi Party in the 1930s, Jewish firms J.W. Spear & Söhne and Tipp and Company produced puzzles, mechanical toys, and other playthings. The Nazi government removed non-Aryan owners and leaders from dozens of companies, devastating the German toy industry.

To ensure the growth of the U.S. toy industry, manufacturers formed a trade association in 1916. Members included toy train tycoon Joshua Lionel Cowan. Jewish tin toy maker, and future association president, Leo Schlesinger issued the organization’s first statement to the press.

To ensure the growth of the U.S. toy industry, manufacturers formed a trade association in 1916. Members included toy train tycoon Joshua Lionel Cowan. Jewish tin toy maker, and future association president, Leo Schlesinger issued the organization’s first statement to the press.

Louis Marx began working in toys at age 15. After serving in the U.S. Army in World War I, he formed Louis Marx and Company in 1919. His practice of “reskinning” the same toy multiple ways and his market success led observers to compare the toy mogul to car magnate Henry Ford.

“There is no such thing as a new toy. There are only old toys with new twists.” —Louis Marx

When Bertha “Beatrice” Alexander Behrman couldn’t get parts from wartime Germany for her family’s “doll hospital,” she sewed a Red Cross nurse doll to sell. She went on to found the Alexander Doll Company in 1923, selling dolls of prominent historical and literary figures.

“I didn’t want to make just ordinary dolls [….] I wanted to do dolls with souls. You have no idea how I labored over noses and mouths so that they would look real and individual.” —Madame Alexander

David Gottlieb’s 1931 countertop “pin game” Baffle Ball was so popular that it helped establish a new category of games. In 1947, D. Gottlieb and Company’s Humpty Dumpty introduced the “flipper,” transforming pinball from a game of chance to a game of skill.

David Gottlieb’s 1931 countertop “pin game” Baffle Ball was so popular that it helped establish a new category of games. In 1947, D. Gottlieb and Company’s Humpty Dumpty introduced the “flipper,” transforming pinball from a game of chance to a game of skill.

Sam Stern formed Stern Electronics with son Gary in 1976, after 40 years in the arcade industry. Today, Gary’s company, Stern Pinball, produces more pinball machines than anyone by blending thrilling mechanical action, electronics, and beloved licensed brands like Star Wars.

Sam Stern formed Stern Electronics with son Gary in 1976, after 40 years in the arcade industry. Today, Gary’s company, Stern Pinball, produces more pinball machines than anyone by blending thrilling mechanical action, electronics, and beloved licensed brands like Star Wars.

Hassenfeld brothers Herman, Hillel, and Henry formed Hasbro as a textile remnant firm in 1923. By the 1940s, the company sold clay and toy medical kits. Their iconic playthings Mr. Potato Head (1952) and G.I. Joe “action figures” (1964) helped Hasbro become a toy industry titan.

Hassenfeld brothers Herman, Hillel, and Henry formed Hasbro as a textile remnant firm in 1923. By the 1940s, the company sold clay and toy medical kits. Their iconic playthings Mr. Potato Head (1952) and G.I. Joe “action figures” (1964) helped Hasbro become a toy industry titan.

“We’re recreating the dreams of kids in three dimensions. You know, a toy is the only thing measured down to a kid’s size. A desk and even a doorknob give a kid a sense of inferiority. With a toy he can learn to cope with reality.” —Marvin Glass

Ruth and Elliot Handler built Mattel, Inc. into a toy powerhouse by risking their business to advertise on the untested medium of children’s TV. Fortunately, their bet on the Mickey Mouse Club paid off, enabling hits like Barbie and Ken dolls and Hot Wheels cars.

Ruth and Elliot Handler built Mattel, Inc. into a toy powerhouse by risking their business to advertise on the untested medium of children’s TV. Fortunately, their bet on the Mickey Mouse Club paid off, enabling hits like Barbie and Ken dolls and Hot Wheels cars.

Ralph Baer fled Nazi Germany for the US at age 13. Decades later, the engineer conceived the idea of playing games on a television, turning his “Brown Box” prototype into the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972.  For his pioneering work he earned a U.S. National Medal of Technology in 2006.

Ralph Baer fled Nazi Germany for the US at age 13. Decades later, the engineer conceived the idea of playing games on a television, turning his “Brown Box” prototype into the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972.  For his pioneering work he earned a U.S. National Medal of Technology in 2006.

Ukrainian-born Michael Kogan founded Taito in Japan in 1953 to distill the first Japanese vodka. He later began making coin-operated arcade games and vending machines, mostly for the Japanese market, until Taito’s 1978 video game Space Invaders became an international phenomenon.

Sega was a merger of Rosen Enterprises and Service Games, two arcade game companies serving Japan. Early games like Punching Bag delighted players in the 1960s, but Sega achieved true global success with its console video games and its hip mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog (1991).

Sega was a merger of Rosen Enterprises and Service Games, two arcade game companies serving Japan. Early games like Punching Bag delighted players in the 1960s, but Sega achieved true global success with its console video games and its hip mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog (1991).

The contributions of Jewish people and Jewish culture to entertainment industries such as film, television, and comic books is well known, but as these toys and games attest, Jewish designers, entrepreneurs, and inventors have also shaped the world of playthings.