New Book Gives Unknown Toy Inventors Their Due

Contact:
Tim Walsh
Keys Publishing
PMB 180 5370 Clark Road Suite A
Sarasota, FL 34233-3227
(941) 926-8004
www.theplaymakers.com

New Book Gives Unknown Inventors Their Due

Sarasota, Florida (January 2, 2004) – Game inventor and author Tim Walsh will debut his first book The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys at The American International Toy Fair in February. “This project was over two years in the making and I am extremely proud of the detail the book offers,” Walsh says. “These playthings are a permanent part of our pop culture.” But The Playmakers is more than just the toys for Walsh.

“In our country, if you create music which sells a million copies, you’re on the cover of Rolling Stone. If you write a book that sells that amount, you’re on the New York Times best-seller list,” contends Walsh. “But if you create a game or toy that sells over 100 times that amount, you’re… what was your name again? William Gruber, Merle Robbins, Eleanor Abbott, Leslie Scott* — these people have touched countless lives through their creations and yet very few know who they are. I hope The Playmakers helps change that.”

A celebration of timeless toys and a tribute to the people who brought them to life, the hardcover edition of The Playmakers includes:

• 312 pages with over 420 color photos
• Over 130 additional images of vintage ads, patent drawings, illustrations and historical photographs
• Profiles on 75 toys, offering compelling behind-the-scene stories of the creation of Play-Doh, Clue, Frisbee, Lego, Nerf, Matchbox and many others
• 15 ultra-rare prototypes are pictured, providing a glimpse of the scarcely-seen predecessors to Monopoly, Barbie, GI Joe, Magic 8 Ball, Operation and more
• In-depth toy timelines, company and insider profiles and rare interviews with industry icons provide a comprehensive look at the business of making and marketing toys.

Author Tim Walsh brings 15 years of experience to the project. In 1990 he co-invented TriBond, a board game that has sold over 3 million copies in thirteen countries. In 1994, he invented the board game Blurt!, which has sold over 1 million copies. The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys debuts at Toy Fair in February and at www.theplaymakers.com. The book will be released to the general public in March.

*Come inside The Playmakers and meet William Gruber the inventor of View-Master, Merle Robbins the co-inventor of Uno, Eleanor Abbott the inventor of Candy Land and Leslie Scott the inventor of Jenga.

ISBN: 0-9646973-4-3
AUTHOR: Tim Walsh