Saul Robbins
BornFebruary 16, 1922
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 13, 2010(2010-06-13) (aged 88)
Verona, New Jersey, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materRutgers University
OccupationToy manufacturer
Known forCo-founder of Remco
SpouseRuth Fern
Children2
RelativesIsaac Heller (cousin)
Leonard Wilf (son-in-law)

Saul Robbins (February 16, 1922 – June 13, 2010) was an American toy manufacturer, the co-founder of Remco, with his cousin Isaac Heller.

Personal life

Saul Robbins was born on February 16, 1922,[1] in Brooklyn, New York.[2] He earned a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University.[2] Robbins served in the US Army in the Second World War.[2]

Career

In 1949, he co-founded the toy company Remco in Newark, New Jersey, with his cousin Isaac Heller.[2][3] The name was a contraction of "REMote COntrol", and its first products were children's walkie-talkies.[3] Heller had been a U.S. Navy electronics technician, and they started by buying large amounts of military surplus and "transforming it into toys that could zoom, soar or otherwise move."[4]

Until the 1960s, they only made toys for boys, and they were the first toy company to use television advertising.[3] Their toys included the Whirlybird helicopter, the Barracuda atomic submarine, the Johnny Reb cannon, the Dick Tracy wrist radio, the Screaming Mee Mee-e rifle and Mr. Kelly's Automatic Car Wash.[4]

Robbins was president of the Toy Manufacturers Association of America, and of the YM-YWHA of Metrowest.[2]

Personal life

Robbins and his wife Ruth Fern had two children, Ralph Robbins and Dr Marcia Robbins-Wilf.[2][5] His daughter Marcia Robbins-Wilf was married to Leonard Wilf.[2]

Saul Robbins died at his home in Verona, New Jersey on June 13, 2010, aged 88.[2][1]

References

  1. 1 2 "FamilySearch.org". Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Obituary: Saul Robbins". The Star-Ledger. June 15, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "Made in Jersey: Remco Toys - remote control toys were 'controlled' nearby in NJ". 10 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 Fox, Margalit (10 March 2015). "Isaac Heller, Co-Founder of Remco and Toymaker to a Generation, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Paid Notice: Deaths ROBBINS, SAUL". The New York Times. 16 June 2010.


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