Rest In Play - 2020 - 2029

Japanese artist Yoshitaka Tamaki passed away in July of this year from lung cancer. Tamaki was born in October of 1967 and was primarily known for being a character designer on Climax Entertainment's ...games, notably the Shining series. Tamaki's debut game was as an outline and storyboard artist on 1991's Shining in the Darkness. He also wrote and drew art for 1992's Landstalker and designed 1997's FEDA 2: White Surge of the Platoon. In 1997, he founded Salamander Factor, which helped on titled including Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse and Project X Zone. In 1991, he joined Swallowtails, which is credited with development on 2020's Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions. His final credited game is 2007's Shining Force EXA.Show more

David A. Miller passed away at the age of 91 on October 24, 2023. David attended the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) and NYU Law School before serving in the Coast Guard. In 1967, David and h...is brother Richard founded Eden Toys. Together, they built the company into a leading manufacturer of infant and preschool stuffed toys. Notable licensed products include Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Paddington Bear. In 1990, David became president of the Toy Manufacturers Association, later called The Toy Association. As president, he pioneered national and international efforts to curry favor for accepting China into the World Trade Organization and granting the country permanent Most Favored Nation in the US. He was an advocate of NAFTA and zero tariffs for toys, as well as safety and ethical manufacturing standards. He also played a role in the development of the Fashion Institute of Technology's Toy Design Program. In 2002, David was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame.Show more

Russell Dever, the founder and managing director of Those Licensing People passed away on August 11, 2021 after a long battle with depression. Russell founded Those Licensing People in 2013 and ove...r the last decade has worked with companies including Sooty, The Magic Roundabout, Roobard & Custard, and The Little Prince. Aside from licensing, Russell was also well respected in the children's broadcast industry, having created and produced a number of children's TV series, including Little Monsters. Russell was married to his wife, Janine, and together they had daughters Abigail and Leah. In 2017, Russell's youngest daughter, Leah, joined the business and will continue her father's work.Show more

Klash Singh, a sales manager at HTI Toys, passed away on Thursday, July 27. Klash spent over 20 years in the toy industry, working at HTI for a number of years as well as Kandy Toys.

Joan Packard-Luks was born on March 14, 1946 and passed away on September 4, 2023. Joan was the former President of Women in Toys, Licensing, and Entertainment. Previously, she worked as the Direct...or of Licensing at GUND, where she fostered partnerships with Disney, Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, and others. She also founded her own company, The Serenata Group. Joan was very involved in advocating for the advancement of women through a variety of opportunities in leadership, networking, and education. Joan herself was a mentor to many and gave advice and to support to women everywhere, working diligently toward the goal of a more equitable workplace for women in the industry.Show more

Marilyn Maher passed away on January 2, 2023, in Henderson, Nevada at age 71. Maher work many hats throughout her life, at one point serving as the Executive Director of the YWCA in Freeport, IL, w...here she was recognized for running critical women's programming. Maher also served as the Chief Financial Officer at ACD Distribution in Middleton, Wisconsin. She worked alongside her son, Robert Maher, Jr. Maher enjoyed traveling, visiting many countries across all seven continents with her husband. By air, sea, and land, the pair visited many places, including the Galapagos, Australia, and Antarctica. Marilyn and Robert were married in 1977, and together they had two children. She also had two stepchildren, and the entire family cherished the time when they could all gather in one place.Show more

Kevin Conroy, the voice actor behind DC Comic's Batman, passed away in November of 2022 after a battle with cancer. Conroy was born on November 30, 1955 in Westbury, New York. He attended Julliard ...School's drama division, studying under actor and director John Houseman. His roommate at Julliard School was Robin Williams. After graduating from Julliard in 1978, Conroy toured with Houseman's performing group, The Acting Company, and the following year he went on the national tour of Ira Levin's Deathtrap. In 1980, after playing Jerry Grove in the soap opera Another World, Conroy moved to California to pursue work in television. Rather, he joined the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, where he performed in Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Until 1985, he acted in a number of Broadway productions. In 1985, Conroy transitioned back to television and had roles on Search for Tomorrow, Dynasty, Ohara, Tour of Duty, Cheers, Matlock, and Murphy Brown. Perhaps what Conroy was most famous for was his voice acting roles, namely his starring role in Batman: The Animated Series. He continued to voice Batman in a number of animated spin-offs, theatrical films, direct-to-video films, and video games. As part of DC Comics' 2022 Pride anthology, Conroy wrote "Finding Batman," a story that recounted his life and experiences as a gay man. At the time of his death, Conroy was married to Vaughn C. Williams.Show more

Michael John Lyden passed away on Friday, August 26, 2022 at the age of 80. Lyden began his career in the toy industry as a teenager, working as a stock clerk in the first Toys 'R' Us in Virginia. ...He rose through the ranks at Toys 'R' Us before moving to Mattel, where he lead the development of Hot Wheels as Vice President of Boys Brands in El Segundo, California. Then, at Tyco Toys in New Jersey, he rose to President of Tyco US where he was instrumental in the creation of the Garfield telephone and Tickle Me Elmo. He attended Toy Fair in NYC every year. Lyden had a passion for living: he did the Sunday New York Times Crossword every week (in pen!), visited zoos around the world, enjoyed long evenings at restaurants, discos, and bars, played golf on some of the best courses, and ended every evening with a sambuca and coffee with three beans for good fortune.Show more

Rob Hale, an indie game developer best known as Squid in a Box passed away in August of 2022. Hale's most popular games, Waves and Waves 2, were made free to download on Steam by their partner, CJ,... as per Hale's final wishes. Waves was released in 2011, a twin-stick shooter with a distinctive trance-beat and chiptune soundtrack. Waves 2 came as an Early Access title in 2015, however due to Hale's untimely battle with cancer, will remain incomplete. Prior to indie development, Hale worked as a modder and development on triple A titles.Show more

Liz Goulet DuBois, a product designer for the brand Fred, passed away on Sunday, August 14, 2022. Liz attended Mount Saint Charles Academy and graduated in 1985. After, she earned her bachelor's de...gree in 1989 from RISD. She designed toys and other products, created artwork for books and magazines, and authored and illustrated many children's books. Liz's work was instrumental in launching the Fred brand in 2004. She defined brand language and many of her early designs have become cornerstones of the brand. She was a mentor to young designers and was passionate about the art of creation. Liz was married to Eric DuBois. They had just celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary at the time of her death. She leaves behind three daughters, Audrey, Evelyn, and Millie.Show more