The Chosen Toys: How Jewish Immigrants Designed the American Dream | Author Discussion with Michael Kimmel

Join us for a landmark virtual series as we commemorate 250 years of the Jewish experience in America, exploring the profound ways Jewish identity and the American story have shaped one another. Through a series of monthly conversations with the nation’s leading historians, we will journey from the arrival of the first colonial settlers to the vibrant, diverse communities of the modern era.

In his book, PLAYMAKERS: The Jewish Entrepreneurs Who Created the Toy Industry in America, Kimmel documents how first-generation Jewish immigrants—including the founders of Hasbro, Mattel, and Lionel Trains—created the idealized American childhood. From the invention of the Teddy Bear in a Brooklyn candy store to the creation of Barbie and G.I. Joe, Kimmel explores how the experience of being an outsider in 20th-century America shaped the toy industry and childhood as we know it today.

More About the Michael Kimmel:

The great–grandnephew of the founder of the Ideal Toy Corporation, Michael Kimmelis a SUNY distinguished professor emeritus of sociology and gender studies and founder of the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities at Stony Brook University. The author of Guyland, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

So how does this all work? 

• By purchasing our 250 Years of Jewish Life in America series, you are gaining access to a year’s worth of events with the nation’s top Jewish historians. You will be able to watch them all live on Zoom, and they will also be recorded for later viewing. Each event will be one hour long.

Can I purchase a ticket to individual events if I don’t want to buy the full package? 

• Yes. (But the entire package for just $54 is quite a deal!)

How many events will there be?

• At least eight, spread out throughout the year.

What if I have more questions about how this works? 

• You can email events@70facesmedia.org.