Current:Home > Stocks102-year-old toy inventor, star of 'Eddy’s World' documentary, attributes longevity to this-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
102-year-old toy inventor, star of 'Eddy’s World' documentary, attributes longevity to this
View Date:2024-12-23 22:32:03
At 102 years old, toy inventor Eddy Goldfarb is still going like freshly wound Yakity-Yak Talking Teeth, one of his more than 800 creations. Goldfarb also dreamed up the Bubble Gun, battery-powered Stomper vehicles and KerPlunk, in which hopeful players hold their breath as they strategically remove sticks without disturbing the marbles above.
“Being active and being creative is my secret, and I think it could apply to a lot of people,” the Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductee says in an interview before singing the praises of his pair of 3D printers. “That's the most wonderful machine because you start with nothing, and it goes layer by layer by layer and builds something.”
The Chicago native still creates in his garage workshop and is the focus of “Eddy’s World,” a short documentary airing Saturday (check local listings) on PBS and streaming on the PBS app. The 28-minute film is directed by his daughter, Lyn Goldfarb.
Target's top toy list for 2023:Many toys are priced under $25
Goldfarb knew he was going to be a creator at 5, when his father invited an inventor to dinner. “That's when I learned the meaning of the word,” he says, “and I knew from then on that I was going to be in an inventor.”
The aspiring designer couldn't afford college and enlisted in the Navy during World War II. He conceived the ideas for his first three toys while serving on the USS Batfish.
“I had no money to go into anything too technical, and I realized that the toy industry needed new toys every year,” Goldfarb says.
Following the war, Goldfarb returned to Chicago, where he met his wife, Anita, one Saturday.
“We danced the whole evening, and I went to see her on Sunday and proposed,” Goldfarb remembers. It was love at first sight. “I just took one look at her, and I knew this was it.”
Nine months later, they wed on Oct. 18, 1947. The newlyweds struck a deal that Anita would support the couple for at least two years while Goldfarb focused on his inventions. The pair, who were married until Anita’s death in 2013, share three children: Lyn, Fran, and Martin. The latter Goldfarb works with Eddy on his designs today.
Goldfarb feels “very lucky” to still be alive at his age. He attributes his longevity to being creative and his optimistic, laid-back personality.
“During the war, I was on the submarine and saw a lot of action, and I think I realized what's important and what's not,” he says. “I found out that most things aren't that important. I can overlook a lot.”
What’s next for the centenarian? He’d fancy another milestone birthday.
“Oh, I'd like to turn 105,” he says. “I'm fortunate that I'm healthy. I don't have any of the aches and pains that I heard about all my life. So life is worth living, absolutely worth living. At 105, we'll start thinking about what we should do.”
Want to live healthier longer?How longevity science looks to slow diseases of aging
veryGood! (448)
Related
- Princess Kate makes rare public appearance after completing cancer chemo
- Deion Sanders, Colorado's 'Florida boys' returning home as heavy underdogs at Central Florida
- 2 hurt in explosion at Southern California courthouse and 1 person of interest detained
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Ego Trip
- Charles Hanover: Caution, Bitcoin May Be Entering a Downward Trend!
- Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 5? Location, what to know for ESPN show
- New York court is set to hear Donald Trump’s appeal of his $489 million civil fraud verdict
- Travis James Mullis executed in Texas for murder of his 3-month-old son Alijah: 'I'm ready'
- Eva Longoria Shares She and Her Family Have Moved Out of the United States
- Inside Tia Mowry and Twin Sister Tamera Mowry's Forever Bond
Ranking
- A wayward sea turtle wound up in the Netherlands. A rescue brought it thousands of miles back home
- Ellen DeGeneres says she went to therapy amid toxic workplace scandal in final comedy special
- Jason Kelce Defends Brother Travis Kelce Amid Criticism of NFL Season
- 'America's Got Talent' 2024 winner revealed to be Indiana's 'singing janitor'
- Here's Your First Look at The White Lotus Season 3 With Blackpink’s Lisa and More Stars
- Chicago’s Latino Neighborhoods Have Less Access to Parks, But Residents Are Working to Change That
- Another Outer Banks home collapses into North Carolina ocean, the 3rd to fall since Friday
- 'America's Got Talent' 2024 winner revealed to be Indiana's 'singing janitor'
Recommendation
-
12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
-
WNBA playoff games today: What to know for Sun vs. Fever, Lynx vs. Mercury on Wednesday
-
Chicago’s Latino Neighborhoods Have Less Access to Parks, But Residents Are Working to Change That
-
Where is 'College GameDay' for Week 5? Location, what to know for ESPN show
-
Stock market today: Asian stocks dip as Wall Street momentum slows with cooling Trump trade
-
Alabama Jailer pleads guilty in case of incarcerated man who froze to death
-
Dancing With the Stars’ Danny Amendola Sets Record Straight on Xandra Pohl Dating Rumors
-
Boy Meets World’s Maitland Ward Shares How Costar Ben Savage Reacted to Her Porn Career