Burt Meyer, Inventor Behind Lite-Brite and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Dies at 99
New York, NY – Burt Meyer, the prolific toy inventor responsible for iconic childhood staples like Lite-Brite and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, has died at the age of 99. Meyer passed away on April 28, 2024, according to a report by the New York Times.
Meyer’s career spanned decades,bringing joy to generations with his innovative designs. Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots,first manufactured in 1964,featured a memorable mechanic where a “sock to the jaw caused the spring-loaded head of the recipient to comically pop up.” The toy remained in production for years and was even featured in the animated Pixar film Toy Story 2. In 2011, Time magazine ranked it the 49th greatest toy of all time.
However, Meyer considered Lite-Brite his favorite creation.Launched in 1967 after being licensed by Hasbro, the toy allowed users to create illuminated collages using translucent colored pegs inserted into a grid. Meyer was inspired to create Lite-Brite after observing a Manhattan building adorned with a luminous display of small lights. It quickly became a hit,selling over 20 million units and earning a 55th-place ranking in time magazine’s all-time greatest toy list. A recent resurgence in popularity, fueled by its appearance in two 2022 episodes of the Netflix series Stranger Things, led to a 600% spike in sales.
Beyond these two iconic toys, Meyer also contributed to the creation of the board game Mouse Trap, known for its elaborate Rube Goldberg-style contraption. Throughout the 1960s, his designs were licensed to major toy companies including Ideal, Mattel, Hasbro, Parker Brothers, and Louis marx and Company.
In the 1980s, Meyer founded his own games maker, Meyer/Glass Design, and continued to develop popular titles such as Pretty Pretty Princess, Catch Phrase, and the playfully gross Gooey louie, where players attempted to remove “boogers” from a character’s nose.
Born April 18,1926,in Hinsdale,Illinois,to a pharmacist father and homemaker mother,Meyer served two years as an aircraft mechanic in the US Navy before earning a product design degree from the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1952.
An avid adventurer, Meyer remained active well into his later years, flying single-engine planes until his late 80s, undertaking a 45-day solo bicycle trip across the contry, scuba diving in Fiji and the Solomon Islands, and completing a 135-mile trek to the North Pole at age 69.
Meyer is survived by his daughter, Sheryl, and sons Lee and Steve, who previously served as president of Meyer/Glass until its closure in 2006. He also leaves behind six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.His wife, Marcia, predeceased him in 2001.
