Playmobil's German inventor Hans Beck dies aged 79 | World news | The Guardian Playmobil's German inventor Hans Beck dies aged 79 • Created in 1974 in response to high plastic prices from oil crisis • More than 2bn of the 7.5cm-tall dolls have been sold worldwide Hans Beck, the inventor of Playmobil toys, with one of his creations. Photograph: Playmobil/AFP/Getty Images Playmobil's German inventor Hans Beck dies aged 79 • Created in 1974 in response to high plastic prices from oil crisis • More than 2bn of the 7.5cm-tall dolls have been sold worldwide Tuesday 3 February 2009 08.43 EST First published on Tuesday 3 February 2009 08.43 EST Close This article is 7 years old The German inventor of Playmobil toys, which became an instant success when they hit the market 35 years ago, has died at the age of 79.

Hans Beck, a furniture maker and model enthusiast, came up with the toy in 1974 after being asked to create a new and collectible play concept. It was initially suggested he might work on a range of cars. Instead Beck came up with the dolls and earned himself a place in toy history. He worked according to his motto "no horror, no superficial violence, no short-lived trends", the Brandstätter Group, owners of Playmobil, said in a short statement. Beck created a whole fantasy world of figures with moving arms and legs that bend at the hip, wear snap on clothes, and continue to capture the imagination of children all over the world. More than 2.2bn figures have been produced and sold in over 70 countries. At 7.5cm tall, and promoted as "ideal for a child's grip", the figures are meant to represent real life average adult height of 175cm (5ft 7ins). The original figures were a knight, a builder and a Native American.

But the toy empire expanded hugely over the years and, alongside fairies, firefighters, nurses, jewel thieves, Egyptologists, prisoners, police tracking dogs and airport security staff are now part of the Playmobil firmament. The trigger for the toy's creation was the global oil crisis of the early 1970s, when the price of plastics increased sixfold. Large toys which Brandstätter had produced up until then became prohibitively expensive and it was forced to rethink its product line. Beck was asked to develop a "system of play which can be expanded and which through relatively small parts made out of the expensive synthetic material offers a high value product". Beck worked for Brandstätter for 40 years until 1998. In that time he became head of design. He lived with his wife near Lake Constance in southern Germany where he died following a serious illness on Friday. The success of Brandstätter, which employs 3,000 staff and posted €452m ($408m) in sales last year, is based on the continued popularity of Playmobil. The figures have won numerous prizes over the years for their quality as well as their educational potential.

The company has resisted calls to equip the figures for the digital age by adding sound effects and mechanised features, arguing that it does not want to betray Beck's original concept. Playmobil's UK commercial director, Graham Brennan, says mystery bags have become 'big business' Published: 22 Aug 2011 In Malta, Playmobil makes 2m of the tiny precision-moulded figures every week – five times the rocky islands' total full-size population Published: 30 May 2011 Jonathan Jones: With the sad death of the inventor of innovative Playmobil, let's pay tribute to a pioneer who, with charming designs, kept innocence in the art of toymaking Published: 4 Feb 2009 A degree in art or design is a useful start, and architects and sign makers are also welcome.

Hero-worship from your children is the bonus Published: 18 Apr 2014 Hans Beck dies at 79; inventor of Playmobil toys - LA Times Hans Beck dies at 79; inventor of Playmobil toys Hans Beck Playmobil / AFP/Getty Images Hans Beck designed the Playmobil figurines partly as a response to the 1970s oil crisis, which made larger plastic toys more expensive. Beck said he strove for no horror, no superficial violence, no short-lived trends in his designs. Hans Beck designed the Playmobil figurines partly as a response to the 1970s oil crisis, which made larger plastic toys more expensive. Beck said he strove for no horror, no superficial violence, no short-lived trends in his designs. (Playmobil / AFP/Getty Images) Valerie J. Nelson Hans Beck, the German inventor of Playmobil toys, sturdy action figures designed to encourage imaginative play that quickly became a success after their 1974 debut, has died. He was 79.

FOR THE RECORD: A news obituary in Thursday's California section of Hans Beck, the German inventor of Playmobil toys, failed to report when he died. It was Jan. 30. Beck died near Lake Constance in southern Germany, where he moved after retiring in 1998, a Playmobil USA spokeswoman confirmed. He developed the original simple plastic figures -- a knight, a construction worker and a Native American -- partly as a reaction to the early 1970s oil crisis. Since plastic is made from oil, it became too expensive to make the large plastic toys that his employer, the Brandstatter Group, was known for. The owner of the German company asked Beck to design a toy system, a series of interlocking parts that could be added to and built upon. When Beck took stock of what was already available, he mainly saw tin soldiers that didn't bend or move. Following his toy-making motto -- "no horror, no superficial violence, no short-lived trends" -- Beck devised a "little guy" just under 3 inches tall that fit well in a child's hand. His figures had moving arms and legs that bent at the hip and wore snap-on clothes.

When the Playmobil figures were unveiled at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in 1974, they were a resounding flop. Role-playing games as a series were a new concept that most adults could not relate to. But one Dutch company ordered a year's supply. Since then, more than 2 billion of the figures have been sold in more than 70 countries, according to the Brandstatter Group, Germany's largest toy producer and the parent company of Playmobil. The line has greatly expanded to includes fairies, Egyptologists, knights, vikings, dentists and airport-security staff along with the requisite housing or vehicles. The pieces are not cheap -- three Legionnaires can cost $10 while some of the larger set pieces cost over $100. One of Beck's favorite pieces was the pirate ship, introduced in 1978. He was born in 1929 in Thuringia, a central state in Germany, the oldest son of a self-employed trader. His parents divorced when he was young and both remarried. He grew up making toys for his eight younger half-siblings.

After training as a cabinet maker, he was hired as a toy developer at Brandstatter in 1958 and rose to head of design before retiring. For about a decade, Beck designed piggy banks, child-size tractors and plastic telephones that actually worked from room to room. In 1971, he started working on the Playmobil line, which was "his masterpiece," the company said in a statement. Some of Beck's favorite Playmobil creations presented slices of history that were deemed politically incorrect, such as a group of 19th century Chinese railroad workers that was never sold in stores. "When you're presenting a picture of a time past, you have to show all sides of it," Beck told the Christian Science Monitor in 1997. But it must be done with "Fingerspitzengefuhl," he said, employing a German word that translates as "instinctive feeling." He is survived by his wife and a son. Hans Beck - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia I Live my life to the Fullest!!! coz you know you only get one !!!

Hans Beck Role Inventor Died January 30, 2009, Markdorf, Germany Hans Beck (6 May 1929, Greiz — 30 January 2009) was the German inventor of the toy Playmobil. He is thus often called "The Father of Playmobil". Born in Greiz, Thuringia, Beck grew up in the town of Zirndorf. He trained as a cabinet maker and made small toy vehicles and figures for his younger siblings. He presented his model airplanes to Horst Brandstatter, owner of local toy company Geobra Brandstatter, who took him on, and asked him to develop toy figures for children. As a hobby Beck built ultra-lightweight model aircraft for flying indoors. He competed in the FAI World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary in 1966 and won the individual title in the F1D class. In the early 1960s the planes had a wing span of 900 mm (550 mm today) and were made from a a balsa wood frame covered with a film of acetone lacquer.

They were powered by a small rubber band wound to over 1,700 turns and could fly for over 40 minutes in large halls or airship hangars. The whole aeroplane weighed only 1.2 grams. Beck spent three years developing the figurines with interchangeable accessories that became Playmobil. He conducted research that allowed him to develop a toy that would be flexible (unlike tin soldiers), not too complex, that would fit in an average child's hand and have a face like a child's drawing (a large head, smile, and no nose). "I would put the little figures in their hands without saying anything about what they were," Beck remarked. "They accepted them right away... They invented little scenarios for them. They never grew tired of playing with them." Horst Brandstatter was not initially convinced of the viability of Beck's idea, but allowed the inventor to continue developing the product. The 1973 oil crisis greatly increased the price of plastics derived from oil. This prompted Geobra Brandstatter to consider products that generated more revenue for less plastic raw material than the hula-hoops and other large toys they had been producing. Beck's figurines offered a possible solution.

The company commissioned Beck to develop a series of figures with interchangeable parts. Sponsored Links "Playmobil is a toy that doesn't impose specific play patterns on children," Beck has remarked, "but rather stimulates their imagination." In 1974, the company put the series on show in its display rooms. Visitors were initially reluctant to accept the toy. The toy was shown at that year's International Toy Fair in Nuremberg. It proved popular with children. A Dutch firm subsequently agreed to buy a whole year's production. Playmobil began to be sold worldwide in 1975. The first Playmobil sets were of Native Americans, construction workers and knights. Beck once mentioned in an interview that a jumbo jet, alien figures, and dinosaurs should never be introduced as Playmobil sets, but all three have since been released as Playmobil products. After training a group of product designers to take his place, Beck retired in 1998, just prior to the 25th birthday of the introduction of Playmobil. During the World Expo 2000 in Hannover, Beck was among the 100 German personalities who were honored with a statue within the German Pavilion.

He died at the age of 79 on 30 January 2009 after a serious illness. Playmobil Founder, Horst Brandstatter, Dies | Gifts & Dec Playmobil Founder, Horst Brandstatter, Dies Playthings Staff , June 9, 2015 FRANKFURT—Horst Brandstätter, the man behind Germany’s popular Playmobil figures, died on June 3 following a short illness. He was 81. Known by most as "Mr. Playmobil," and employees by "HOB" Brandstätter was working right until the end and would come into the Playmobil offices each day. Brandstätter entered the family business in 1952, aged 19, and trained as a mold maker. His two uncles were managing the company at the time. It was not long until he realized that the machines and working methods were out of date. At the age of 21, and as a joint shareholder, he started to change the “We’ve always done it that way” mentality within the company. His innovative spirit paid off for the Brandstätter Company.

In 1958 the production of hula hoops became a sales hit throughout Europe. During the oil crisis of the early 1970s Brandstätter asked his master mold maker, Hans Beck, who passed away in 2009, to develop a completely new toy system which could be continually expanded. His specification was to achieve the maximum amount of play value for the minimum amount of plastic. The result were three 2¾-inch figures: a knight, a construction worker and a Native American. Playmobil was born. The figures were first introduced at the 1974 Toy Fair. “Their success at that time saved us from bankruptcy,” said Brandstätter. “People seeing the Playmobil figure for the first time are usually unimpressed; it looks so simple. Adults don’t immediately see the value of Playmobil. Its appeal is in the stories which it triggers in children’s heads.” He was no sole owner of Brandstätter, and Playmobil helped the company become Germany’s top-selling toy manufacturer. Today there are more than 370 different figures, 839 faces and 68 beards with more than 21 million potential combinations.

Proof of Brandstätter’s talent for looking ahead and making his visions become reality can also be seen in the Lechuza brand, which he established in 2000 as the second pillar of his company. Under this brand name geobra Brandstätter develops and produces plastic planters with soil watering systems and German-made garden furniture. Until the end, Brandstätter was not thinking about retirement but was more concerned about his company and more than 4,000 employees worldwide. “I have established a corporate foundation which will take over from me as proprietor,” he said. “This charitable foundation supports children. The future of the company is thus secure, and at the same time I know that it will be managed according to my wishes.” In May 2013, Brandstätter opened the Playmobil Logistics Centre in Herrieden, a $150 million investment. When almost all the toy industry moved production to Asia, he opted for a collaborative production network in Europe, including the company’s largest facility is situated in Dietenhofen in Bavaria, with additional manufacturing sites in Malta, the Czech Republic and Spain.

Brandstätter was adamant about retaining control over the quality and safety of his products, according to the company. Brandstätter lived in Zirndorf, Germany, and had also had a home in Florida where he spent winters golfing. He was honored with Germany's Federal Cross of Merit in 1993 and recently became a member of the Toy Industry Association's Hall of Fame in 2014. He is survived by two sons, Klaus Brandstätter, 61, and Conny Brandstätter, 59. We cover the latest news and information for the toy industry. Passages 2009: Notable lives lost this year - USATODAY.com Passages 2009: Notable lives lost this year Updated THE ARTS Ken Annakin, 94 British-born director whose credits included the World War II epics Battle of the Bulge and The Longest Day and the family classic Swiss Family Robinson. Stroke and heart attack, April 22.

By Allison Leach Bea Arthur, 86 tall, deep-voiced actress who starred in TV's Maude and The Golden Girls after a long stage career that included a Tony for her role in the musical Mame. Arthur first appeared in the landmark comedy series All in the Family as Edith Bunker's outspoken, liberal cousin, Maude Finley. Cancer, April 25. Ron Asheton, 60 Guitarist and founding member of The Stooges, an influential protopunk band. Asheton's powerful, distorted guitar on songs like I Wanna Be Your Dog and T.V. Eye was a hallmark of the group's raw sound. Natural causes, Jan. 6. Ernie Barnes, 70 African-American figurative painter and former lineman for the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. His Sugar Shack dance hall scene appeared on the cover of Marvin Gaye's I Want You in 1976 and the closing credits of the Good Times TV series. Blood disorder, April 27. Pina Bausch, 68 German choreographer known for her pioneering work.

An innovative creator of striking, absurdist scenes, Bausch won Britain's Laurence Olivier Award in 2006 for outstanding achievement in dance. Cancer, June 30. Hildegard Behrens, 72 Soprano who, in a professional career beginning in 1971 that spanned three decades, was one of the finest Wagnerian performers of her generation. Aneurysm, Aug. 18. Louie Bellson, 84 Big-band and jazz drummer who performed with such greats as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman and his wife, Pearl Bailey, who died in 1990. In a career spanning seven decades, he contributed to more than 200 albums. In 1994, the National Endowment for the Arts dubbed him a "master of jazz." Parkinson's disease, Feb. 14. Handout Estelle Bennett, 67 Member of the 1960s singing group The Ronettes, which included her sister Veronica "Ronnie" and their cousin Nedra Talley.

Their hit Be My Baby, in 1963, was produced by Phil Spector and epitomized his famed "wall of sound" technique. Cause not given, found dead Feb. 11. Claude Berri, 74 A fixture for more than 50 years in contemporary French cinema as an actor, writer, director and producer. Berri produced Roman Polanski's Tess in 1979 and directed the internationally acclaimed Jean de Florette, and his short film Le Poulet (The Chicken) won an Oscar in 1965. Stroke, Jan. 12. Bob Bogle, 75 Lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band The Ventures, known for 1960s instrumental hits including Walk, Don't Run and the theme from Hawaii Five- 0. The band sold millions of albums and heavily influenced other rock guitarists. It was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Cause not given, June 14.

Anne Wiggins Brown, 96 African-American soprano who starred as the original Bess in George Gershwin's landmark folk opera Porgy and Bess in 1935, but saw her career limited by racial discrimination. Cause not given, March 13. Paul Burke, 83 Twice nominated for an Emmy for his role as Detective Adam Flint in the gritty crime hit Naked City. Burke was in dozens of TV shows in his four-decade career. Leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Sept. 13. Sam Carr, 83 Born Samuel Lee McCollum, this drummer was considered an anchor in the blues scene that still draws fans to the genre's birthplace, the poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta region. Carr was reputedly among the nation's best blues drummers. He made his living in the Mississippi Delta, where he was raised. Congestive heart failure, Sept. 21. 2003 AP photo David Carradine, 72 Best known as the Shaolin priest, Kwai Chang Caine, who roamed the 19th-century American West in the TV series Kung Fu.

He returned to the top this decade as the title character in Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino's two-part saga. Asphyxiation, June 4. 1964 AP photo Merce Cunningham, 90 Avant-garde dancer and choreographer who revolutionized modern dance by creating works of pure movement divorced from storytelling and even from their musical accompaniment. In a career that spanned six decades and about 150 works, Cunningham shattered such unwritten rules as having dancers usually face the audience. Among his honors: Kennedy Center Honors, 1985, and the National Medal of Arts, 1990. Cause not given, July 26. John "Marmaduke" Dawson, 64 Longtime Grateful Dead collaborator who co-wrote Friend of the Devil and developed a following with his psychedelic country group, New Riders of the Purple Sage. Stomach cancer, July 21. 1997 AP photo Dom DeLuise, 75 Affable and portly star, described as a natural comedian who kept the laughs rolling even when the cameras weren't.

His jovial warmth charmed not only film and TV audiences, but the actors and directors with whom he worked for decades. Cause not given, May 4. Jim Dickinson, 67 Musician and producer who helped shape the Memphis sound in an influential career spanning five decades. Known as the father of Luther and Cody Dickinson, two-thirds of the Grammy-nominated North Mississippi Allstars. Heart and intestinal bleeding problems, Aug. 15. 1999 AP photo Roy Disney, 79 Nephew of Walt Disney whose powerful behind-the-scenes influence on The Walt Disney Co. led to the departure of former chief Michael Eisner. Disney was credited with ushering in a new era after taking over the animation department in 1984, producing such blockbusters as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.A 56-year veteran of the company founded by his uncle and his father, Roy, Disney also led a 1984 effort to oust Walt Disney's son-in-law after concluding he was leading the company in the wrong direction. Stomach cancer, Dec. 16.

1975 Getty Images Farrah Fawcett, 62 Charlie's Angels star whose feathered blond hair and dazzling smile made her one of the biggest sex symbols of the 1970s. A poster of her in a dampened red swimsuit sold millions of copies and became a ubiquitous wall decoration in teenagers' rooms. The pop icon in the 1980s set aside the fantasy girl image to tackle serious roles. Cancer, June 25. 2004 AP photo Horton Foote, 92 Playwright and screenwriter who movingly portrayed the broken dreams of common people in The Trip to Bountiful, Tender Mercies and his Oscar- winning screen adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. He earned two Academy Awards and a 1995 Pulitzer Prize for The Young Man From Atlanta. In his sleep, March 4. 1996 AP photo Ruth Ford, 98 Actress who starred on Broadway in William Faulkner's Requiem for a Nun, a play he wrote with her in mind and on which she collaborated. The characters were taken from Faulkner's 1931 novel, Sanctuary. She also appeared in more than two dozen films.

Ford met Faulkner, already a published author, while attending the University of Mississippi. Cause not given, Aug. 12. Larry Gelbart, 81 Award-winning writer whose sly, sardonic wit helped create such hits as Broadway's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the film Tootsie and television's M*A*S*H. Cancer, Sept. 11. AP Henry Gibson, 73 Veteran comic character actor best known for his role reciting offbeat poetry on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In while clutching a giant flower, and, more recently, on Boston Legal. Cancer, Sept. 14. 1967 AP photo Thomas Hoving, 78 Whose charismatic, controversial leadership of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is summed up in his autobiography, Making the Mummies Dance. As the Met's director from 1967 to 1977, he turned an institution he said was "dying" into a happening museum with blockbuster exhibits, such as treasures from Egyptian King Tutankhamun's tomb. Lung cancer, Dec. 10.

1984 AP photo John Hughes, 59 Hollywood writer-director who captured and cornered the teen and preteen market with such favorites as Home Alone and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Hughes rose from ad writer to comedy writer to silver-screen champ with affectionate and idealized teen portraits, whether the romantic and sexual insecurity of Sixteen Candles, or the J.D. Salinger-esque rebellion against conformity in The Breakfast Club. Heart attack, Aug. 6. Maurice Jarre, 84 Oscar-winning French composer who captured the majesty of the desert in his music for Lawrence of Arabia and wrote the haunting Lara's Theme in his Doctor Zhivago score. No cause given, March 29. 1993 AP photo Michael Jackson, 50 "King of Pop" whose career began at 11 as lead singer for the Jackson 5, the singing group he formed with his brothers out of Gary, Ind., and peaked in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer.

He was lauded for shattering the race barrier on MTV, pioneering epic music videos, dominating the charts and dazzling onstage with such moves as his backward-gliding "moonwalk." His 1982 Thriller album -- which included the blockbuster hits Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller -- is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide. As years went by, Jackson became an increasingly freakish figure -- his skin became lighter, his nose narrower, and he spoke breathily. Homicide, June 25. 2007 AP photo Jeanne-Claude, 74 Artist who created with her husband, Christo, the 2005 Central Park installation "The Gates," 23 miles of 7,500 festooned structures, and other mammoth "wrapping" projects such as swathing the Reichstag building in Berlin in silver fabric. Brain aneurysm, Nov. 18. Wycliffe Johnson, 47 Keyboardist and producer known as "Steely" who helped to steer Jamaican music for nearly two decades and to modernize the dance hall genre. Heart attack, Sept. 1.

1964 AP photo Uriel Jones, 74 Drummer whose versatile, passionate beat fueled classic Motown hits by The Temptations, the Four Tops and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. Jones was part of the Funk Brothers, the Motown house band. Complications from a heart attack, March 24. Allen Klein, 77 Infamous record label owner who played a key role in the demise of The Beatles and also nabbed control of some of the Rolling Stones' best-known songs. During a career spanning more than 50 years, the New Jersey-born accountant enjoyed a reputation as a savvy, gangster-like figure. His ruthless business practices were reviled by many, but he earned grudging respect for bullying labels into giving rich deals to his clients. His company, ABKCO Music & Records, is one of the biggest independent labels in an industry controlled by multinational corporations. Alzheimer's, July 4. Credit Erich Kunzel, 74 Award-winning conductor who headed the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra since it was founded four decades ago and who won international fame through sales of more than 10 million recordings. Cancer, Sept. 1.

Hugh Leonard, 82 Irish playwright and commentator, born John Keyes Byrne, who won a Tony in 1978 for his bittersweet father-and-son drama, Da. In the 1960s, Leonard became Ireland's most accomplished adapter of classic works and short stories to the Irish stage and screen, and a driving force in the promotion of modern Irish stagecraft. Various illnesses, Feb. 12. Ekaterina Maximova, 70 Legendary Russian ballerina who graced the Bolshoi Theatre stage 30 years, beginning in 1958. Called "Ekaterina the Great," or Catherine the Great, for her impeccable technique and versatility, she danced most of the major female roles of classical ballet and experimented with avant-garde dance. Cause not given, April 28. 1950 AP photo Karl Malden, 97 Academy Award-winning actor whose intelligent characterizations on stage, screen and television made him a star despite plain looks. Malden won a supporting actor Oscar for his role as Blanche DuBois' naive suitor, Mitch, in 1951's A Streetcar Named Desire.

Malden gained perhaps his greatest fame as Lt. Mike Stone in the 1970s TV show The Streets of San Francisco. In the '70s, he gained a lucrative 21-year sideline and a place in pop culture with his "Don't leave home without them" ads for American Express traveler's checks. While he tackled a variety of characters, he was often seen in working-class garb or military uniform. His authenticity in grittier roles came naturally: His mother was Czech and his father Serbian, and he worked for a time in the steel mills of Gary, Ind., after dropping out of college. He was president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences from 1989-92. Cause not given, July 1. Patrick McGoohan, 80 Emmy-winning actor who created and starred as the character Number Six in the cult classic TV show The Prisoner. Short illness, Jan. 13. Daniel Melnick, 77 Producer credited with gutsy, smart movies like Straw Dogs, Network and Midnight Express. Melnick was head of production at MGM and Columbia. Multiple ailments, Oct. 13.

2004 AP photo Vic Mizzy, 93 Songwriter who wrote the catchy theme songs to The Addams Family and Green Acres television shows. Mizzy got his start in vaudeville and wrote songs recorded by Dean Martin, Doris Day, Perry Como and Billie Holiday in the 1940s and '50s. Mizzy has said that he didn't mind if people remember him only for the finger snaps at the start of The Addams Family theme. After all, he said, "two snaps got me a mansion in Bel Air." Cause not given, Oct. 17. Ricardo Montalban, 88 Mexican-born actor known for roles as Mr. Roarke in Fantasy Island and Khan in Star Trek. Later remembered as a TV pitchman for the Chrysler Cordoba. Cause not given, Jan. 14. 2006 AP photo Brittany Murphy, 32 Gained fame in such movies as Clueless, 8 Mile and Just Married before giving voice to popular animated character Luanne Platter on Fox's King of the Hill. Natural causes, Dec. 20.

Billy Powell, 56 Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player who played such hits as Sweet Home Alabama and survived the 1977 plane crash that killed three band members. Heart problems, Jan. 28. Harve Presnell, 75 Whose booming baritone graced such Broadway musicals as The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Annie. Although best known for roles in musical theater, Presnell also is remembered as the father-in-law of William H. Macy's character in the Coen brothers' 1996 film, Fargo. Pancreatic cancer, June 30. Wendy Richard, 65 British actress whose four-decade TV career included roles as a sexy sitcom shop assistant and a working-class matriarch on the soap opera EastEnders. Breast cancer, Feb. 26. Billy Lee Riley, 75 Rambunctious rockabilly performer who helped develop the Sun Records sound as a studio musician for other headliners. Colon cancer, Aug. 2.

2005 AP photo Natasha Richardson, 45 Gifted and precocious heiress to acting royalty whose career highlights included the films Patty Hearst and Nell and a Tony-winning performance in a stage revival of Cabaret. Head injury, March 18. Handout Soupy Sales, 83 Rubber-faced comedian, born Milton Supman, whose anything-for-a-chuckle, half-century career was built on 20,000 pies to the face and 5,000 live TV appearances. Typically clad in a black sweater and oversize bow tie, Sales was once suspended after telling his legion of tiny listeners to empty their mothers' purses and mail him all the green paper bearing pictures of presidents. Cause not given, Oct. 22. Budd Schulberg, 95 Son of a studio boss who wrote the 1941 novel What Makes Sammy Run? that defined the Hollywood hustle, and later penned the Oscar-winning screenplay for the Marlon Brando classic On the Waterfront. Natural causes, Aug. 5.

Dan Seals, 61 Who was England Dan in the pop duo England Dan and John Ford Coley, scoring such hits as I'd Really Love to See You Tonight and Nights Are Forever, and later had a successful country music career. Mantle cell lymphoma, March 25. Shih Kien, 96 Veteran Hong Kong actor, who appeared in more than 350 films and was known for his role as Bruce Lee's archrival in the 1973 movie Enter the Dragon. Kidney failure, June 3. Ron Silver, 62 Actor who won a Tony as a take-no-prisoners Hollywood producer in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow and did a political about-face from loyal Democrat to Republican activist after the Sept. 11 attacks. Esophageal cancer, March 15. Philip Simmons, 97 Famed blacksmith whose wrought-iron gates and more than 500 other works grace gardens and entryways along the South Carolina coast and beyond U.S. borders. In his sleep, June 22.

Gale Storm, 87 Whose wholesome appearance and perky personality made her one of early television's biggest stars on My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show. She was a Texas high schooler named Josephine Owaissa Cottle when she entered a 1940 talent contest for a radio show called Gateway to Hollywood and was awarded a movie contract. Long illness, June 27. 1945 AP photo Arnold Stang, 91 Actor who appeared alongside Milton Berle and Frank Sinatra and was known for his nerdy looks and distinctive nasal voice. He voiced cartoons, including the lead character in the 1960s cartoon Top Cat, and did dozens of commercials. Pneumonia, Dec. 20. 1994 ABC photo Patrick Swayze, 57 Hunky actor who danced his way into moviegoers' hearts with Dirty Dancing, then broke them with Ghost. He performed and co-wrote a ballad on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, She's Like the Wind, inspired by his wife, Lisa Niemi. Pancreatic cancer, Sept. 14.

Koko Taylor, 80 Sharecropper's daughter whose regal bearing and powerful voice earned her the sobriquet "Queen of the Blues" and a Grammy in 1984. Complications from surgery, June 3. AP file photo Mary Travers, 72 One-third of the hugely popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, which mingled their music with liberal politics, onstage and off. Travers joined forces with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey in the early 1960s. Their version of If I Had a Hammer became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included Lemon Tree, Leaving on a Jet Plane and Puff (The Magic Dragon). They were early champions of Bob Dylan and performed his Blowin' in the Wind at the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Leukemia, Sept. 16. Dina Vierny, 89 Muse to French sculptor Aristide Maillol and model for painters Henri Matisse and Pierre Bonnard. In 1963, she gave France a collection of monumental Maillol sculptures that now stand in the Tuileries Garden.

In 1995, she created a foundation to house the works of Maillol and others, the Musee Maillol, on Paris' Left Bank. Cause not given, Jan. 20. 1964 AP photo Andrew Wyeth, 91 Artist who portrayed the hidden melancholy of the people and landscapes of Pennsylvania's Brandywine Valley and coastal Maine in works such as Christina's World. The son of famed painter and book illustrator N.C. Wyeth, he gained wealth, acclaim and tremendous popularity on his own. He chafed under criticism from experts who regarded him as a facile realist or merely an illustrator. In his sleep, Jan. 16. NEWSMAKERS Ft. Collins Coloradoan 2008 Maurice Albertson, 90 Colorado State University professor who in 1960 co-wrote a model encouraging the USA's youth to serve in Third World countries, established as the Peace Corps by President Kennedy in 1961. Cause not given, Jan. 11.

AP 2009 Christian "Hitsch" Albin, 61 Fed the world's luminaries for decades as executive chef of The Four Seasons, the Manhattan restaurant that invented the "power lunch." Cancer, June 13. Charles Donald Albury, 88 Co-pilot of the B-29 Superfortress, nicknamed "Bockscar," that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, on Aug. 9, 1945. He also witnessed the first atomic blast over Hiroshima, as a pilot on a support plane that measured the blast's magnitude and levels of radioactivity. Congestive heart failure, May 23. Wayne Allwine, 62 Actor who voiced Mickey Mouse for more than 30 years beginning in 1976. The third person to voice Mickey, after Walt Disney and Jimmy MacDonald, he died with Russi Taylor, his wife and the voice of Minnie Mouse, by his side. Complications from diabetes, May 18. AP Dave Arneson, 61 Co-creator of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy game and a pioneer in role-playing entertainment. Cancer, April 7.

AP 1999 Kenneth Bacon, 64 Bow-tie-wearing Pentagon spokesman in the Clinton administration who became a voice for millions of refugees uprooted by violence and conflict. During U.S. and NATO operations in Kosovo, Bacon grew convinced that more people were needed to stop human rights abuses and assist people displaced by man-made and natural disasters. Skin cancer, Aug. 15. Hans Beck, 79 German creator of the colorful plastic Playmobil toy figures that sold by the millions around the world. A trained cabinetmaker and passionate model builder, Beck in 1971 created and developed the 3-inch-tall line of figures. Long illness, Jan. 30. Joe Cuba, 78 Salsa band leader dubbed the "Father of Latin Boogaloo" for weaving a fluid, bilingual mix of musical influences. Born Gilberto Calderon, the band leader and conga player helped change the sound of salsa in the 1960s with his move to a six-member band with singers instead of the prevalent orchestral arrangements. Bacterial infection, Feb. 15.

Archie Casbarian, 72 Restored New Orleans' famous Creole restaurant Arnaud's with his wife, Jane, to its former glory. They took over the restaurant with a colorful past in 1978 and rebuilt it into one of New Orleans' culinary jewels. During Casbarian's tenure, Arnaud's hosted every sitting president from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush. Esophageal cancer, Jan. 10. Reuters 2000 Marilyn Chambers, 56 Pretty model on the Ivory Snow box who helped bring hard-core adult films into the mainstream consciousness when she starred in an explicit 1972 movie, Behind the Green Door. Born Marilyn Ann Briggs. Cause not given, April 12. AP 2006 Earl Cooley, 98 Pioneering smoke jumper who took one of the Forest Service's first leap into a flame-riddled wilderness in Idaho on July 12, 1940. His chute nearly failed to open and he landed 140 feet above ground, stuck in a spruce tree. Still, Cooley and fellow jumper Rufus Robinson had the fire under control by the next day.

Cooley also helped found the National Smokejumper Association and served as its president for three years. Cause not given, Nov. 9. Jack Cover, 88 Onetime NASA scientist who invented the Taser stun gun now used by thousands of police agencies to subdue suspects. The Taser, which remains controversial, issues darts attached to wires that deliver electric shocks that temporarily subdue aggressive suspects. Alzheimer's, Feb. 7. AP 2006 Sheldon Dorf, 76 Founded the Comic-Con International comic book convention in 1970, drawing 125,000 fans a year. Dorf was a freelance artist and comic strip letterer. Kidney failure, Nov. 3. John Hope Franklin, 94 towering scholar and pioneer of African-American studies who wrote the seminal text on the black experience in the United States and worked on the landmark Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 case that barred the doctrine of "separate but equal" in the nation's public schools.

He was the first black department chair at a predominantly white institution, Brooklyn College; the first black professor to hold an endowed chair at Duke; and the first black president of the American Historical Association. Congestive heart failure, March 25. AP 2008 Millard Fuller, 74 Millionaire entrepreneur who gave it all away to help found the Christian house-building charity Habitat for Humanity. Cause not given, Feb. 3. Adam Goldstein, 36 Celebrity disc jockey known as DJ AM, who publicly acknowledged his history of drug addiction and had filmed a reality show for MTV in which he offered to help other addicts. Cause not given, Aug. 28. Jade Goody, 27 Dental assistant turned reality-TV star on Britain's Big Brother in 2002. Her whirlwind journey from poverty to celebrity to tragedy became a national soap opera in Britain. During filming of a celebrity version of Big Brother, in summer 2008, Goody received a diagnosis of cervical cancer by telephone. The camera captured the deeply personal moment. Cervical cancer, March 22.

Jon Hager, 67 Who performed in the musical comedy duo the Hager Twins on Hee-Haw in the 1960s. His identical twin, Jim, died in May 2008. In his sleep, Jan. 11. Paul Haney, 80 Known as the "voice of NASA's Mission Control" for his live televised reports during the early years of the space program. Haney became NASA's information officer in 1958, nearly three months after the space agency was formed. Cancer, May 28. Newt Heisley, 88 Designer of the POW/MIA flag adopted by Congress in 1990 as a symbol of the nation's concern for those missing during military actions in Southeast Asia. Heisley's pencil sketch done in 1971, during the Vietnam War, shows the silhouette of a gaunt man with bowed head, a strand of barbed wire and a watchtower in the background with the words POW/MIA "You are not forgotten." Sudden death, May 14.

Harry Kinnard, 93 Retired Army lieutentant general who as a paratroop officer suggested the famously defiant answer "Nuts!" to a German demand for surrender during the 1944 Battle of the Bulge. In later years, he was the principal architect of the Army's concept of using helicopters in infantry warfare in Vietnam. Cause not given, Jan. 5. Judith Krug, 69 A director of the Chicago-based American Library Association and a founder of its Banned Books Week, observed since 1982. Stomach cancer, April 11. AP 1997 Alan Landers, 68 Handsome model who posed for Winston cigarette ads as the "Winston Man" in the 1960s and '70s and later tried to fight the tobacco industry in court. Throat cancer, Feb. 27. AP 2003 James Lilley, 81 Longtime CIA operative and later the U.S. ambassador to China during the time of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Lilley had a close relationship with former president George H.W. Bush dating to the early 1970s.

Prostate cancer, Nov. 12. Credit Alan Livingston, 91 Music executive who created Bozo the Clown in 1946 and signed The Beatles during his tenure as president of Capitol Records. When Livingston heard the Beatles song I Want to Hold Your Hand, he agreed to release the single and brought the Fab Four to the United States in 1964 to promote it. Old age, March 13. Michelle Triola Marvin, 76 Her landmark lawsuit against her former lover, actor Lee Marvin, placed the word "palimony" into the family law lexicon and changed legal rights of unmarried cohabiting partners. They lived together for six years, and she took his last name. After a split, she sought to win the same rights as she would have under alimony laws if the couple had married. Lung cancer, Oct. 30. AP 2009 Billy Mays, 50 Boisterous, bearded TV pitchman for products like OxiClean. Mays developed his style demonstrating knives, mops and other "As Seen on TV" gadgets on Atlantic City's boardwalk. Cause not given, June 28.

AP 2007 Ed McMahon, 86 Loyal Tonight Show sidekick who bolstered boss Johnny Carson with guffaws and a resounding "H-e-e-e-e-e-ere's Johnny!" for 30 years. Often mistakenly linked to Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes, he spent two decades as celebrity spokesman for the rival American Family Publishers' contest. Multiple health problems, June 23. Getty Images 2002 Robert McNamara, 93 Cerebral secretary of Defense vilified for his role in escalating the Vietnam War, a disastrous conflict he later denounced as "terribly wrong." Known as a policymaker with a fixation for statistical analysis, McNamara was recruited to run the Pentagon by President Kennedy in 1961 from the presidency of the Ford Motor Co. <emdash></emdash> where he and a group of colleagues had been known as the "whiz kids." He stayed in the Defense post for seven years, longer than anyone since the job's creation in 1947.

After leaving the Pentagon, McNamara became president of the World Bank and served for 12 years, devoting his energies to the belief that improving life in rural communities in developing countries was a more promising path to peace than the buildup of arms and armies. In his sleep, July 6. AP 2004 Les Paul, 94 Who invented the solid-body electric guitar later wielded by a legion of rock 'n' roll greats. A tinkerer and musician since childhood, he experimented with guitar amplification for years before coming up in 1941 with what he called "The Log," a 4-by-4 piece of wood strung with steel strings. In 1952, Gibson began production on the Les Paul guitar. As an inventor, Paul helped bring about the rise of rock 'n' roll with multitrack recording, which enables artists to record different instruments separately, harmonize with themselves, and then carefully balance the tracks in the finished recording. Pneumonia, Aug. 13. Malcolm Oliver Perry II, 80 Surgeon who treated President Kennedy at Parkland Memorial Hospital after he was shot in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

Perry performed a tracheotomy on Kennedy, then performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation with another surgeon until the president was declared dead. Lung cancer, Dec. 5. AP 2009 Oral Roberts, 91 Helped pioneer TV evangelism in the 1950s and used the power of the new medium -- and his message of God's healing power -- to build a multimillion-dollar ministry and a university that bears his name. Roberts rose from humble tent revivals to become one of the nation's most famous and influential preachers, helping to pioneer religious TV and playing a major role in bringing American Pentecostalism into the mainstream. Pneumonia, Dec. 15. Doris Ann Scharfenberg, 91 Who paved the way for women when she began working as a television producer for NBC in the 1950s. Among her awards was a 1973 Emmy for outstanding achievement in religious programming for Duty Bound. Alzheimer's, Jan. 4.

AP 2002 Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 88 Who founded the Special Olympics and helped demonstrate that the mentally disabled can triumph on the field of competition and lead rich and productive lives outside the walls of institutions. Her efforts were inspired in part by the struggles of her mentally disabled sister, Rosemary, who had a lobotomy at age 23 and spent the rest of her life in an institution. She was the sister of President Kennedy, wife of 1972 vice presidential candidate R. Sargent Shriver and mother of former NBC newswoman Maria Shriver. Stroke, Aug. 11. Naomi Sims, 61 Fashion model who in 1968 became the first black model to appear on the cover of Ladies' Home Journal. Sims attained success when the "Black Is Beautiful" movement was taking hold, and her accomplishments as a barrier-breaking African American helped pave the way for the black runway stars of the 1970s. Breast cancer, Aug. 1. Crystal Lee Sutton, 68 Her fight to unionize Southern textile plants with low pay and poor conditions was dramatized in the film Norma Rae.

In 1973, Sutton was a 33-year-old mother of three earning $2.65 an hour folding towels at J.P. Stevens when a manager fired her for pro-union activity. Brain cancer, Sept. 11. AP 2002 George Tiller, 67 Physician who was one of the most visible and strident advocates for abortion rights. His clinic, Women's Health Care Services, was among just three in the nation to perform abortions after 21 weeks of pregnancy, when the fetus is considered viable. Tiller's clinic was bombed in 1985, and he was shot in both arms in 1993 by abortion protester Rachelle "Shelley" Shannon of Grants Pass, Ore. Shot to death, May 31. Howard Barton Unruh, 88 Killed 13 people as he walked the streets of Camden, N.J., in a psychotic 1949 shooting spree that was the nation's worst mass murder at the time. Unruh had been confined in a state psychiatric hospital since the killings, which became known as the "Walk of Death." Extended illness, Oct. 19.

Indianapolis Star 2006 Myles Brand, 67 NCAA president who as president of Indiana University sparked massive protests by firing Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Knight. Pancreatic cancer, Sept. 16. AP 1995 Felix "Doc" Blanchard, 84 A bruising fullback, Army's "Mr. Inside" in one of college football's most famous backfields and the 1945 Heisman Trophy winner. Pneumonia, April 19. Fred Cusick, 90 Radio and television voice of the Boston Bruins for more than four decades. Cusick's death came one day before he was scheduled to be inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Cancer, Sept. 15. USA TODAY 1997 Chuck Daly, 78 Former basketball coach who led the U.S. "Dream Team" to a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics and the Detroit Pistons to two NBA championships. Pancreatic cancer, May 9.

Reuters 2005 Mark Fidrych, 54 Colorful Detroit Tigers pitcher nicknamed "the Bird" who talked to baseballs, smoothed the mound with his hands and high-fived teammates in the middle of the diamond during one terrific season in 1976. Suffocation under his truck, April 13. AP 2004 Bobby Frankel, 68 A gruff, Brooklyn-born Hall of Fame horse trainer with a gift for coaxing top performances out of ornery, high-strung thoroughbreds. He built an early reputation as "King of the Claimers," taking the cheapest horses and turning them into high-priced stakes winners. Frankel saddled 3,654 winners and earned $227,949,775 during his 43-year career. Cancer, Nov. 16. Helio Gracie, 95 Martial arts pioneer who refined Brazilian jiu-jitsu to de-emphasize strength in favor of leverage, technique and positioning. Patriarch of the family that was the initial driving force behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Pneumonia, Jan. 29.

Joe Hirsch, 80 Longtime Daily Racing Form columnist known as the dean of American turf writers. Parkinson's disease, Jan. 9. AP 1960 Ingemar Johansson, 76 Swede who stunned the boxing world by knocking out Floyd Patterson to win the heavyweight title in 1959. Cause not given, Jan. 30. Ralph Kaplowitz, 89 Who played in the first NBA game, starting for the New York Knicks, and on the league's first championship team, the Philadelphia Warriors. Short illness, Feb. 2. Andy Kessler, 48 A trailblazer during New York City's nascent 1970s skateboarding scene and a designer of skate parks admired by boarders on both coasts. Kessler got his start in the 1970s with a loose-knit group of skateboarders and graffiti artists known as the Soul Artists of Zoo York. Heart attack after an allergic reaction to a wasp sting, Aug. 10. AP 2003 Jack Kramer, 88 No 1 tennis player during much of the 1940s, including champion of Wimbledon and the U.S.

Championships. Soft-tissue cancer, Sept. 12. Eddie Logan, 98 A self-described "footman," who shined shoes at Santa Anita since the racetrack opened on Christmas Day 1934 and was a former boxer and Negro League baseball player. Seizure and stroke, Jan. 31. AP 2000 Steve McNair, 36 Former NFL quarterback whose most noted drive was 87 yards in the final 48 seconds of the 2000 Super Bowl, to come up only a yard short of a tying touchdown for his Tennessee Titans. He still holds the Division I-AA (now known as Football Championship Subdivision) records for career yards passing (14,496) and total offense (16,823). Gunshot wound to the head, July 4. AP 1963 Lou Saban, 87 Star football player at Indiana University, pro football player and champion pro football coach and president of baseball's Yankees. Complications from a fall, March 29.

AP 2007 Toni Sailer, 73 Austrian skiing great who in 1956 became the first skier to win all three Alpine gold medals at a Winter Olympics, in 1956 at Cortina, Italy. Larygeal cancer, Aug. 24. Burl Toler, 81 The first African-American official in NFL history, who spent 25 years as a field judge and head linesman. He was head linesman for Pittsburgh's 31-19 Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams in 1980. Cause not given, Aug. 16. AFP/Getty Images 2008 Corazon Aquino, 76 Former president of the Philippines. She led a 1986 uprising that ended the repressive regime of Ferdinand Marcos. As president, the smiling woman in her trademark yellow dress sustained democracy by fighting off seven coup attempts in six years. She struggled to meet high public expectations and left many of her closest allies disillusioned by the end of her term. Colon cancer, Aug. 1. Juan Almeida Bosque, 82 Vice president who was one of the last giants of Cuba's 1959 revolution.

Almeida was the only black commander among the early rebel leaders. Heart attack, Sept. 11. AFP/Getty Images 2002 Millvina Dean, 97 Youngest passenger on RMS Titanic, who lived to become the disaster's last survivor. She was just 9 weeks old when she was wrapped in a sack and lowered from the sinking ship into a lifeboat bobbing on the frigid North Atlantic. In her sleep, May 31. AP Sverre Fehn, 84 Norwegian architect whose unique style of blending modern forms with Scandinavian traditions earned him the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. Most of Fehn's works are in Norway, including the white concrete Glacier Museum, which has been hailed as a landmark within contemporary architecture. Completed in 1991, it stands on a plain carved by Norway's Jostedal Glacier at Fjaerland Fjord. Cause not given, Feb. 23. Susan Hibbert, 84 Sergeant, then Susan Heald, who typed the English version of the German surrender document and then messaged London when World War II ended in Europe on May 7, 1945. Cause not given, Feb. 2.

1999 AP photo Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, 57 A physician who diagnosed and treated her own breast cancer in 1999 while stationed in the South Pole. She performed a biopsy on herself, a machinist helped her with her IV and test slides, and a welder helped with chemotherapy. Breast cancer, June 23. William Ganz, 90 Pioneering cardiologist and co-inventor of a balloon-tipped catheter that measures heart function and blood flow. Natural causes, Nov. 10. 2005 Reuters photo Claude Levi-Strauss, 100 An influential French intellectual widely considered the father of modern anthropology. Cause not given, Oct. 30. Venetia Phair, 90 Who was 11 years old, and then known as Venetia Burney, in 1930 when she suggested Pluto as the name of a newly discovered planet. Cause not given, April. 30

Question: Hans Bech who died in 2009 invented what popular toy figures?
Answer: Playmobil