Discover the untold story of first-generation Jewish American toymakers who helped manufacture “the century of the child.” In 1902, Morris and Rose Michtom stitched together the first Teddy Bear in the back room of their Brooklyn candy store, sparking the Ideal Toy Corporation and a booming toy world created by fellow immigrant pioneers like Hasbro, Mattel, and Lionel Trains. In Playmakers, Michael Kimmel traces how Jewish founders, designers, and storytellers shaped an idealized American childhood—from Barbie and G.I. Joe to Superman and Mr. Potato Head. He reveals how outsider tenement life fueled a culture of imagination, acceptance, and endless fantasy.
Sunday, October 25 at 2PM
The Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture & Education
525 Versailles Drive, Centerville, 45459
In partnership with Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History