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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'>Milton Levine, who co-invented classic Ant Farm educational toy, dies at 97 in California<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hpAKWszlDhIyqQ3o_D4MgPPuPhwA?docId=5765195" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hpAKWszlDhIyqQ3o_D4MgPPuPhwA?docId=5765195</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>By The Associated Press (CP) – 1 hour ago<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Milton Levine, co-inventor of the classic Ant Farm<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>toy that gave millions of youngsters a sneak peak into the underground<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>lives of insects, has died at age 97.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Levine died of natural causes on Jan. 16 at an assisted-care facility in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thousand Oaks, his son, Steven, told the Los Angeles Times.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Uncle Milton's Ant Farm has sold more than 20 million copies, but it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>sprang from humble origins.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Levine was watching ants during a Fourth of July picnic in Studio City in<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>1956 when he was reminded of collecting ants in jars as a child, Levine<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>told the Times in 2002.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>He recalled announcing: "We should make an antarium."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Levine and his brother-in-law, E. J. Cossman, came up with a transparent<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>habitat — a green plastic frame with a whimsical farm scene — that allowed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>people to watch ants dig tunnels in sand between two plastic panes.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The ants were sent by mail. Collectors got a penny apiece to grab red<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>harvester ants from the Mojave Desert.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"Ants work day and night, they look out for the common good and never<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>procrastinate," Levine told the Times. "Humanity can learn a lot from the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>ant."<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The toy was an instant hit. The product has remained essentially the same<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>over the decades, although some small changes were made. The original glue<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>was toxic to some ants, so it was replaced. The sand was switched to<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>whitish volcanic ash in order to make the ants more visible.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>"The product has become a treasured part of American pop culture, having<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>been recognized as one of the Top 100 Toys of the Century by the Toy<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Industry Association," according to a statement from Westlake<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Village-based Uncle Milton Industries.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Levine's company became a multimillion-dollar business and today offers a<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>range of science and nature toys, including butterfly and frog habitats<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and Star Wars-themed items. It was sold to Transom Capital Group last year<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>for tens of millions of dollars.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Levine sometimes joked that the ants' most amazing feat was putting his<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>three children through college.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In addition to his son, Levine is survived by his wife, Mauricette,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>daughters Harriet and Ellen; two sisters and three grandchildren.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>--<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>