It has been a while since my last post, so I’ve got a real treat saved up for you. The article’s from the New Yorker – by Ian Crouch. But the real gem is a short (18-minute) film embedded inside – by Lyn Goldfarb. The title is “Inside the Workshop of a Classic Toy Inventor.” It’s about a man named Eddy Goldfarb. And in case you didn’t put 2 and 2 together, Lyn is Eddy’s daughter.
Eddy was born in 1921 – same year as my dad. Over the course of all those years he invented 800+ classic toys. Some of them, like the chattering teeth, you’ve probably seen, maybe even owned. Others, like the solar powered waving windowsill plants, maybe not. But something about this story, and this man, captures my imagination. Perhaps it’s the combination of creative mechanical genius with a relentless spirit of optimism that really gets to me. Or maybe it’s just that I like the chattering teeth – I dunno. In any event, come with me inside the workshop of a toy inventor. You’ll be glad you did.
With all the crap we’ve endured in 2020, just in time for Christmas, here is a ray of sunshine, folks. Even if you don’t read the article, watch the film. New Yorker article is here. The film is linked inside the article. Note caption, below.
The inventor of more than eight hundred toys on why making playthings is a noble profession.