I had never heard about Henry Orenstein until Saturday. Then I read the article in the NY Times announcing his death at age 97. I have a lot more to learn about this fascinating person. Here are some of the highlights from the article.
Henry Orenstein, a Holocaust survivor who built a major American toy company, later persuaded Hasbro to start its line of Transformers action figures, and who in his 70s patented an ingenious way to better televise poker tournaments, died on Tuesday at a hospital in Livingston, N.J. He was 98.
A Polish Jew, Mr. Orenstein survived a hellish journey through five concentration camps — and the shock of his parents’ murders in a cemetery in Poland — to become a merchant of fun.
The Topper Corporation, which he started in the 1950s, made the Suzy Homemaker line of miniature appliances, the Johnny Seven One Man Army toy gun, the Betty the Beautiful Bride and Dawn dolls, Zoomer Boomer trucks, Ding-A-Ling robots and Sesame Street educational toys.
In 1970, Mr. Orenstein sponsored Al Unser Sr.’s racecar, which won the Indianapolis 500. The victory helped ignite sales of Topper’s Johnny Lightning miniature cars (rivals to Mattel’s Hot Wheels). He gave Mr. Unser, who died on Dec. 9, a $30,000 bonus after he won.
During the Toy Fair in Manhattan in the early 1980s, he saw a Japanese-made toy — a tiny car that could easily change into an airplane — and recognized more elaborate possibilities. Mr. Orenstein put together a deal between Hasbro and the Japanese manufacturer, Takara, which led to Hasbro’s introduction in 1984 of Transformers, toy robots that could turn into vehicles or beasts. They would become hugely popular, spawning an animated television series and a movie franchise.
While watching a poker tournament on television, he realized that the excitement he felt while playing was not being conveyed. “He said, ‘This isn’t the game we played,’” Mori Eskandani, a professional poker player who produces televised poker programming, said in an interview. “‘If everyone can see the hole cards, they’d see how great it is.’” Mr. Orenstein spent six months developing a table with miniature cameras mounted beneath each player’s station and cutouts with non-glare glass that let the cameras look up. These would show the hole cards and transmit the images on television. He patented his idea of a hole-card camera in 1995 and got his first customer a few years later when the Discovery Channel licensed it for its “World Poker Tour.” “We called the table ‘the Holy Grail,’” Mr. Eskandani said.
The Detroit Lions gave the Los Angeles Rams and former Lion quarterback, Matthew Stafford an early Christmas present yesterday with the Lions “spanking” of the first place Arizona Cardinals. The win allows the Rams a chance to catch the Cardinals with a victory over the Seahawks on Tuesday. This was a gift that was a very big surprise for the Rams and Stafford.
This just in from the NY Times. The extremely contagious Omicron variant is now the dominant version of new coronavirus cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and has prompted the resumption of mask mandates in some cities and states in the Northeast, where the growth in new cases has been particularly steep. Omicron, first discovered overseas around Thanksgiving and identified in this country on Dec. 1, now accounts for more than 70 percent of new cases in the United States, according to federal estimates released Monday. The estimates underscored the rapid spread of the new variant. Two weeks ago, the C.D.C. said Omicron accounted for just 1 percent of U.S. cases; a week ago, it was about 13 percent. Delta, which for months had been the dominant form of the virus, accounted for about 26 percent of new cases over the last week, the C.D.C. estimated.
On Thursday, I shared the fascinating story of Ferris State quarterback, Jared Bernhardt, the former lacrosse national player of the year at the University of Maryland who transferred to Ferris and led Ferris to the Division II national championship football game. I am happy to report that behind three first-half rushing touchdowns from lacrosse star-turned-Ferris State QB Jared Bernhardt, Ferris State pounced early and never let up. The Bulldogs took a 20-17 lead late in the first quarter on a 78-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Burrell, and never trailed again. They didn’t allow a point again. The performance capped perhaps the most dominant season in Division II football history, and at least in Division II postseason history. Ferris State’s 208 points (in four games) are the most in DII playoff history.
In the middle of writing my blog tonight, I was interrupted by the CBS special celebrating Tony Bennett’s 95 birthday, with Lady Gaga. I had to get up and watch it. It is amazing to hear Tony sing. He sounds exactly like he did when my dad would listen to him on some old 78 RPM vinyl records. He has spanned four generations over 70 plus years of singing. Even when singing with Lady Gaga he can hold his own. He has had an amazing career. He makes the 78-year-old Jagger look like a young pup.
What are you doing today to stop violence? What are you doing today to expand mental health services for those in need? What are you doing today to make sure your guns are not are accessible to minors in your household?
Stay Safe. Social Distance. Wear your mask when indoors in public places. Schedule your vaccine and booster.
Orchid of the Day: Ferris State University men’s football team for winning the Division II national championship
Onion of the Day: The omicron variant.
Quote of the Day: “It’s time to get angry,” Oakland County Prosecutor. It’s time to say, the things that we’ve been doing that have led to shooting after shooting after shooting have not worked. They are still happening.” Oakland County Prosecutor, Karen McDonald during an interview with the Detroit News.
Song of the Day: I Left my Heart in San Francisco, Tony Bennett.
Loved Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. The special was filmed in August. They both are so talented!