This is Marvin himself with the specs, the story goes Marvin was at a party one time and he was talking to a self-absorbed bore.   He stopped listening to what the person was saying and in his mind the persons glasses just kept getting bigger and bigger...

In a fortress built at LaSalle Street and Chicago Avenue in Chicago were employed about 75 people, 6 partners, designers, artists, model makers, a patent artist, a lawyer, and Pauline the receptionist.   Oh yeah - and an oriental chef; Poy Tom, who cooked the executives' lunches.   The Marvin Glass studio was amazingly prolific, their wide range of toys changed all of our lives. They were the Walt Disney of the toy biz.
 

Mr. Glass started in 1949 his first inventions were a pocket theater, Yakity-Yak teeth, and a little chicken you pushed down and it laid a gumball.   Remember that one?

For a long period of time the Marvin Glass logo was proudly displayed on the boxes of the toys, this was the only company to get such credit on manufactured items. I think this policy ended after Marvin's death.   A great number of toys would hit the market out of the studio.   The toy biz is like show biz - not all toys are a big hit.    So it was the management's idea to remove the logo because they did not want to take credit for the flops... I think it was a bad idea to retract it.

Here is a list of just some of the toys that Marvin Glass designed in the 60's.   Some of the 70's toys he designed are interesting also.

1960 Mr machine 61 robot commando 62 king zor 62 odd ogg 62 haunted house 62 gaylord  62 golferino  63 mouse trap 63 jungle hunt 63 king of the hill 63 penny the poodle  63 dandy the lion 64 clancy the chimp 64 smarty bird  64 hands down 64 time bomb 64 rock'em sock'em robots

65 mystery date 65 operation 65 tipit 66 mosquito game 67 koo koo choo choo 67 clean sweep 1967 fang bang 67 lite bright 67 tha kid 1968 little lost baby 68 bucket of fun 68 recall68 tight squeeze 68 sand lot slugger 68 doodle light 68 hip flip 68 situation 4

69 limbo legs 69 oh nuts 69 sketch a toon 69 humor rumor 69 magic lite 69 kooky carnival 69 toss across 69 astro lite 69 astro sound 69 finders keepers 69 dynamite shack 69 ants in the pants 70 ssp

Marvin's Security Issues

Security at Marvin Glass was more hoopla than anything else. It made for good publicity and Marvin loved it.   Marvin's office was double-walled and set to the inside of the building so that "spies" could not eavesdrop from the moody bible institute across the street.   This kind of industrial spying just never happened.   But because Marvin promoted it they made several episodes of TV series about wacky toy designers protecting their ideas with their lives.

Marvin also installed 2 giant room sized safes, like bank vaults.  There he would insist that the model makers put the toy models in for the night.   When Marvin was gone the items stayed at the workers' benches and the vaults were never used again.

To get in the front door Pauline would see you on a TV , she would see you from the second level.   In those days it was like something out of a movie, now it is commonplace.   The customers from all the great toy companies of the world would enter past bronze nudes and climb a spectacular staircase where the lovely Pauline would greet them.

About stolen ideas - ideas are cheap - its pulling it off that's the hard part.   The work of the execution of the idea in a marketable way is what gives the reward and Marvin Glass and Associates was set up to do that .   They also had the respect of the manufacturers so they always had an audience. Many times toys were parallel invented, that is to say that the same concept was developed independently in two different places.   When both showed up at the toy show in February it would be a shock.   I think this happened because the time was just right for a particular item, influenced by the evolutionary progress of toys plus the cultural complexion of the day.  But there was no spying or theft of ideas.

Marvin died about 1975, two years before I worked there.    I never met him, but dug out all the stories from those who knew him.    Marvin did not kill himself as is widely reported. He died naturally.    He was at the top when he died, he built an empire, his life was great, there was a photo spread in Playboy at his mansion.   He loved women.    In fact he was married to a vibrant and beautiful young woman from Puerto Rico when he died.

1970's Marvin Glass designs: which witch 1970 Milton Bradley rattle battle 1970 Parker Brothers Quick shot 1970 Ideal mind maze 1970 Parker brothers mr. Mad 1970 Ideal Masterpiece 1971 Parker Brothers  smash up derby 1971 Kenner Gnip Gnop 1971 parker brothers inch worm 1971  stay alive 1971 Milton Bradley dont blow your top 1972 Schoper

super sunday football 1973  snap bowling 1973 Ideal evel knievel 1973 Ideal ricochet racers 1974 tug boat 1974 parker Brothers jack be nimble 1974 schoper trip hamer 1974 Milton Bradley the tiny tim of beautiful things 1970  twiddler 1970 Parker brothers the wall walkers 1970 snoopy and the red baron 1970 milton bradley mad marbles 1970 lakeside horsin around 1970 sure shot games Ideal 1970 brink ball 1970 lakeside

Marvin, the Man

Fishlove was the premiere joke and gag manufacturer of the times and they were a client of Marvin Glass [ yakity-yak teeth & super specs ].   Marvin was preparing a presentation of new items.   A designer (I wish I remembered his name) came up with the totally original idea of fake vomit.   He showed it to Marvin and Marvin hated it.   "That's disgusting, you're sick, there is nothing funny about it." shouted Marvin Glass.

The presentation with Fishlove was not going anywhere.  Several items were met with polite interest but nothing more.  The fake vomit designer then burst through the conference room door and slapped the PUKE squarely on the table in front of the client.   You can imagine Marvin's face.    Fishlove was laughing hysterically and clearly loved it. Marvin immediately piped up; "Yes this is great! That's why we saved it for last.  We love it!", and Marvin sold it to the client like it was the greatest thing ever.

One of the secrets to Marvin Glass' success is that he never expected his clients to have any imagination.   He presented to them a prototype that was totally complete and as close to a production piece as possible.    The models were fully functional complete with artwork and theme .  The client had to ask himself just one question, "Could I sell this item?"    The production art work and sculpting was shared between the client and the Marvin Glass studios.   Usually the studio just assisted with the art work when asked by the client because they were rapidly approaching the toy fair deadline.    The sculptings were most always used original casts made by Lyle Conway pre 1976 and then John Balough.   After that were sent to the factories to be mass produced. The box artwork was virtually never done by the Marvin Glass studio.
 

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