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REVIEW: ‘Playmakers’

JL;DR SUMMARY Michael Kimmel's book "Playmakers: The Jewish Entrepreneurs Who Created the Toy Industry in America" explores the significant impact Jewish innovators had on shaping American childhood through toys and comics. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Historical ContextCultural HistoryEastern European JewsJewish ImmigrantsComicsToy IndustryJewish EntrepreneursSuperheroesAmerican ChildhoodMichael Kimmel

Places mentioned

Los Angeles, California, United States
"Beyond Mattels Ruth and Elliot Handler in Los Angeles, there were the Hassenfeld brothers in Providence, founders of Hasbro, as well as Lewis Marx and Joshua Lionel Cowan in New York, creators of Marx and Lionel trains."
Providence, Rhode Island, United States
"Beyond Mattels Ruth and Elliot Handler in Los Angeles, there were the Hassenfeld brothers in Providence, founders of Hasbro, as well as Lewis Marx and Joshua Lionel Cowan in New York, creators of Marx and Lionel trains."
New York, United States
"Beyond Mattels Ruth and Elliot Handler in Los Angeles, there were the Hassenfeld brothers in Providence, founders of Hasbro, as well as Lewis Marx and Joshua Lionel Cowan in New York, creators of Marx and Lionel trains."
Brooklyn, New York, United States
"Take Morris and Rose Michtom, who together created the original Teddy bear in the back room of their Brooklyn, N.Y., candy store."

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Retrieved 2026-01-10 05:31:13 UTC
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