Pressman, Sesame execs joining hall of fame
By Staff -- Playthings, 8/26/2008 1:09:00 PM
NEW YORK—The Toy Industry Association’s next inductees into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame will be Joan Ganz Cooney, co-founder of Sesame Workshop, and Jack Pressman, founder of game maker J. Pressman & Company.
Joan Ganz Cooney co-founded Children's Television Workshop (renamed Sesame Workshop in 2000) in 1968 and has created children's programming, including Sesame Street, The Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact and Dragon Tales, for more than three decades. President and CEO of Sesame Workshop until 1990, she is currently chairman of the executive committee of Sesame Workshop's board.
“Mrs. Cooney revolutionized the way kids play and how they learn when she created Sesame Street over 30 years ago,” said Alan Hassenfeld, Toy Industry Hall of Fame Committee chairman. “The beloved Sesame Street characters will only grow more iconic over time, all a direct impact of Joan Ganz Cooney’s work and passion for children.”
Jack Pressman started J. Pressman & Company in 1922. The company had its first notable success in 1928 when it acquired the rights to Chinese Checkers, a product that remains in the company's line to this day. Pressman is also regarded as one of the first in the toy industry to make toys based on licensed characters, manufacturing Dick Tracy and Little Orphan Annie playthings in the late ’30s. The later-day Pressman Toy Corp. was the first to use injection molding machines, which introduced plastic pieces to the toy industry.
After a long illness, Jack Pressman died in 1959, leaving his wife Lynn to take over as president. Since 1977, the company has been under the direction of Pressman’s son, James Pressman.
“Jack Pressman was a leader and inspiration as one of the early creators in the toy industry,” Hassenfeld said. “Most families will find a game in their home today that was brought to them as a result of Jack Pressman.”
The Hall of Fame ceremony honoring Cooney and Pressman will take place as part of the ninth annual T.O.T.Y. (Toy of the Year) Awards, set for Feb. 15, 2009, in New York City.
Established in 1984, the Toy Industry Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have significantly contributed to the growth and success of the toy industry.
