[ExI] sad news: uncle milton has perished

John Grigg possiblepaths2050 at gmail.com
Wed Jan 26 22:02:53 UTC 2011


I owned several of his ant farms as a kid.  I will never forget
accidentally knocking one over and having my mom yell as the many ants
scurried all over my bedroom!

John  ; )

On 1/26/11, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
>
>
> 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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>



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