Henry Orenstein, the inventor of the "Transformers" toys, died last week at the age of 98, after suffering from complications due to covid, his wife Susie Orenstein said.
Orenstein was a Holocaust survivor who lived through five concentration camps in Poland during the Holocaust. After he immigrated to the United States in 1947, Orenstein, who lived in Verona, New Jersey, began creating toys, according to his wife, CNN reported.
In the 1960s, Orenstein received several toy patents, including the Suzy Cute Doll and Johnny Lightning toy cars.
"He had a great eye for things that could be different," Susie Orenstein told CNN. "Everything he looked at, if he could make it better, he would. From light bulbs to toys to poker, he was always coming up with ideas."
The Transformers, sentient robots that transform into other forms, such as vehicles and animals, were first produced in 1984 as a line of toys. The Transformers became so popular that the toys became a franchise, branching out into television shows, cartoons and films. There was even a breakfast cereal in the 1980s called Transformers Chocolate Flavored Cereal.
There are several annual Transformers fan conventions, with the official international Transformers convention BotCon, being the most popular for the legion of fans of the well known toys.
Along with his toys, Orenstein also patented the “Hole Card Camera,” his wife said. The invention was a video camera mounted under a glass panel in a card tale which let viewers see a poker player’s face down cards. The invention was a revolution for audiences watching televised poker tournaments.
"He was proud of everything he did," Susie Orenstein added. "He did everything well. He really loved to help people. That's what he did. That's what he felt like he accomplished."
Henry and Susie Orenstein set up the Orenstein Project, which provides help to the children and families of Holocaust survivors, including providing food for thousands of needy people in Israel.