Rest In Play - 2020 - 2029

James Carter Cathcart, also known was Jimmy Zoppi, was born on March 8, 1954 and passed away on July 8, 2025. A voice actor, script adaptor, voice director, pianist, and vocalist, he is best known for... voicing Gary Oak, James, Meowth, and Professor Oak in the Pokemon franchise. Jimmy's voice acting career began in the 1980s with the character Cap'n O. G. Readmore on the ABC Weekend Special anthology series. Later on, he appeared in over 15 Pokemon films and over 700 episodes of the Pokemon anime. Aside from Pokemon, he also had roles in shows including Sonic X, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, One Piece, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Mission Odyssey, among others. Jimmy married Martha Jacobi, and they had three children together: Nicole, Mackenzie, and Carter.Show more

Don Kipper was born in 1946 and passed away on October 29, 2025. Don Kipper was the second generation owner of Kip's Toyland in Los Angeles, which happens to be the oldest toy store in Los Angeles, an...d one of the few remaining independent toy stores. Don took over the store from his father, Irvin Kipper, who founded it in 1945. Irvin was a prisoner of war during World War II, and when he returned home, he wanted to do something happy for the rest of his life. He opened Kip's Toyland, where you can purchase classic and retro toys—no electronics. Don loved working at the toy store and was always a friendly face behind the counter. After losing his battle with cancer, his daughter, Lilly, has taken over the family business.Show more

Terence Stamp was born on July 22, 1938 and passed away on August 17, 2025. He was an accomplished actor, having won a Golden Globe Award and a Cannes Film Festival award, in addition to receiving nom...inations for an Academy Award and two BAFTA Awards. He was best known for his role as General Zod in the early Superman films. After studying at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London, he quickly made a name for himself in the film world. He played the title roll in the film Billy Budd in 1962, which is where he earned his Golden Globe and his nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. Later, he starred in The Collector and won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. In 1978, he played archvillain General Zod in SuperMan and Superman II. For many more decades, he played many different roles, with his final performance being the upcoming sequel to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.Show more

Scott Adams was born on June 8, 1957 and passed away on January 13, 2026. He was best known as the creator of the Dilbert comic strip. Scott didn't start creating comics full-time until 1995, and h...ad worked in corporate in the years prior. In the mid 1990s, his comic strip, Dilbert, which was a satirical commentary on white collar working environments, became popular globally. He eventually went on to write several books, and in the 2010s, he emerged as a conservative commentator. Unfortunately, many of his takes emerged as racist and he even made comments questioning the Holocaust and opposing the COVID-19 vaccine. This led to many newspapers dropping Dilbert. In May 2025, Scott revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and in early January 2026, he said his chances of recovering were "essentially zero." He passed less than a month later.Show more

Julien Mayot passed away in November 2025. He was one of the co-founders of Blue Orange Games, and was heavily involved in the design and sale of Gobblet, the first Blue Orange game. At the beginning,... he took a three-month road trip across the country, covering 22,000 miles and visiting 500 stores with a jeep packed with 1,000 Gobblet games. The trip and the subsequent 10,000 games sale marked the official start of the business. He had a passion for creativity and kindness, and is fondly remembered by all those who knew him.Show more

Burt Meyer was born on April 18, 1926 and passed away on October 30, 2025. He is best known for his toy and game inventions, including Lite Brite, Mouse Trap, and Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. Burt gra...duated from the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1952. He worked as a design director and teacher at the Atlanta Art Institute and also designed trade show displays, cabinets, and jukeboxes. In 1960, Burt joined Marvin Glass & Associates, where he invited Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Lite-Brite, and Mouse Trap, among other toys and games. After leaving Marvin Glass in the mid 1980s, he started his own firm: Meyer/Glass Design. During this time period, he created the Pretty Pretty Princess board game; Catch Phrase, a word-guessing game; and Gooey Louie, which invited children to pick “gooeys” out of Louie’s nose. Burt was married to Marcia "Kass" Meyer, who passed in 2001. Together they had three children, six grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.Show more

Leigh Anne Brodsky was born on February 26, 1958 and passed away on October 3, 2025. Leigh Anne grew up in Glen View, IL, and Wyckoff, NJ, and went to Holy Cross for college. After graduating, she joi...ned United Media, which began her career in licensing. She is most well known for her role as President of Consumer Products for Nickelodeon, where she led the company's purchase of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nickelodeon's first acquired property. She also worked on brands including Dora the Explorer, Spongebob, South Park, and Beavis and Butthead. In 2011, she was inducted into the Licensing Industry Hall of Fame. Under her leadership, Nickelodeon earned more than 35 industry awards including top licensing and Parent’s Choice honors in the toy, video, interactive gaming and apparel categories, according to Licensing International. Leigh Anne leaves behind a loving husband and two wonderful children.Show more

Norman was born on October 2, 1927 and passed away on October 29, 2025. He was the co-founder of LJN Toys, which he founded with Jack Friedman. LJN became one of the first toy companies to use TV. mov...ie, and personality licensing with big names like Rookies, SWAT, Emergency, Betsy Clark, Disney, Gumby and many others. Norman was married to Loretta Varon Lewis—they shared over 50 years together. They also raised three sons together, and went on to become grandparents to nine and great-grandparents to three. Outside of the toy industry, Norman loved golf, traveling, and spending time with his family.Show more

Richard Weintraub was born on September 25, 1947 and passed away on August 22, 2025. From a young age, Richard knew he would find a career in the toy industry, as his father, Lionel Weintraub was the ...President of Ideal Toys. Richie’s journey began at Ideal, and from there he made his mark at Galoob, Tyco, and finally Mattel, where he spent the bulk of his career as Senior Vice President of Research & Development. During his time at Galoob, Richie spent ten formative years in Hong Kong, expanding his horizons and deepening his global perspective. Outside of the toy industry, Richard was also a musician. He played in bands and performed in karaoke bars in all the cities he lived in. He was also a technology whiz: after retiring from toys, he was an Apple Genius at the Genius Bar in Manhattan.Show more

Mario Pasin was born on February 6, 1930 and passed away on August 18, 2025. Mario attended Notre Dame for college, and in the 1960s, he inherited his father's company, Radio Flyer, which he proudly l...ed from the 1960s through the 1990s. In 1959, he married Mary Kay, and the pair shared 66 years of marriage, 5 children, 9 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Mario will be remembered for his kindness, patience, humility, generosity, and love for all things Radio Flyer.Show more