Get S.M.A.R.T. with Author Michael Kimmel
YOUR SUNDAY MORNING JUST GOT SMARTER—AND MORE FUN! 🌞
Distinguished Professor of Sociology Emeritus, SUNY Stony Brook • Author • Descendant of the Teddy Bear’s Creators
MICHAEL KIMMEL
Unwraps the Surprising History of Jewish Influence on American Toys! 🎁
A Sunday morning filled with good clean fun with author, Michael Kimmel
Playmakers: The Jewish Entrepreneurs Who Created the Toy Industry in America
Who Knew The American Toy Box Was So Jewish?
Michael Kimmel takes us on a fascinating, fun-filled journey through the surprising Jewish story behind some of America’s most beloved toys.
Kimmel will bring to life the colorful, imaginative, restless spirits who pursued the promise of the American Dream and transformed childhood with toys, fantasy, adventure, and timeless battles between good and evil.
For much of the 20th century, Jewish immigrants and their children helped shape nearly every corner of the toy business—from company founders and designers to factory workers, distributors, and retailers. Many grew up poor, Yiddish-speaking, and in crowded tenements, yet they created magical worlds for children that they had never experienced themselves.
Kimmel’s own family story connects him to this remarkable history: he is the great-grandnephew of Morris and Rose Michtom, whose Ideal Toy Company helped popularize the teddy bear, inspired by a 1902 political cartoon. Discover the fascinating people and ideas behind America’s beloved toys—and the legacy of imagination, ingenuity, and immigrant ambition that helped shape generations of American childhood.
Drawing on his research, including his book Playmakers: The Jewish Entrepreneurs Who Created the Toy Industry in America, Kimmel brings this extraordinary story to life.
GET S.M.A.R.T.! • UNCOVER FUN FACTS! • MAKE SUNDAY A FUN-DAY! ☀️
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