[ExI] sad news: uncle milton has perished

[spike]

How many of us had one or more of his creations when we were larvae?  I had
two then and one as a full grown adult.  Uncle Milton will be missed, I do
hope he had himself frozen.  

 

Milton Levine, who co-invented classic Ant Farm educational toy, dies at 97
in California

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hpAKWszlDhIyqQ3
o_D4MgPPuPhwA?docId=5765195

 

By The Associated Press (CP) - 1 hour ago

 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Milton Levine, co-inventor of the classic Ant Farm

toy that gave millions of youngsters a sneak peak into the underground

lives of insects, has died at age 97.

 

Levine died of natural causes on Jan. 16 at an assisted-care facility in

Thousand Oaks, his son, Steven, told the Los Angeles Times.

 

Uncle Milton's Ant Farm has sold more than 20 million copies, but it

sprang from humble origins.

 

Levine was watching ants during a Fourth of July picnic in Studio City in

1956 when he was reminded of collecting ants in jars as a child, Levine

told the Times in 2002.

 

He recalled announcing: "We should make an antarium."

 

Levine and his brother-in-law, E. J. Cossman, came up with a transparent

habitat - a green plastic frame with a whimsical farm scene - that allowed

people to watch ants dig tunnels in sand between two plastic panes.

 

The ants were sent by mail. Collectors got a penny apiece to grab red

harvester ants from the Mojave Desert.

 

"Ants work day and night, they look out for the common good and never

procrastinate," Levine told the Times. "Humanity can learn a lot from the

ant."

 

The toy was an instant hit. The product has remained essentially the same

over the decades, although some small changes were made. The original glue

was toxic to some ants, so it was replaced. The sand was switched to

whitish volcanic ash in order to make the ants more visible.

 

"The product has become a treasured part of American pop culture, having

been recognized as one of the Top 100 Toys of the Century by the Toy

Industry Association," according to a statement from Westlake

Village-based Uncle Milton Industries.

 

Levine's company became a multimillion-dollar business and today offers a

range of science and nature toys, including butterfly and frog habitats

and Star Wars-themed items. It was sold to Transom Capital Group last year

for tens of millions of dollars.

 

Levine sometimes joked that the ants' most amazing feat was putting his

three children through college.

 

In addition to his son, Levine is survived by his wife, Mauricette,

daughters Harriet and Ellen; two sisters and three grandchildren.

 

--

 

 

 

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