Reuben Klamer, Inventor of The Game of Life, Dead at 99

Source: The Toy Book

The toy industry icon credited with creating the modern version of The Game of Life has died.

Reuben Klamer died at home in La Jolla, California on September 14, 2021. He was 99.

Klamer was tapped by Milton Bradley to create a new game to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 1960. Inspired by The Checkered Game of Life, Klamer’s Game of Life went on to sell more than 70 million copies across countless versions, first by Milton Bradley and later by Hasbro.

During his lengthy career, Klamer worked on hundreds of toys, including Fisher-Price Preschool Trainer Skates; the Art Linkletter Hoop; Ideal Toys’ Gaylord the Walking Dog; Hasbro’s Moon Rocks and Dolly Darlings; A.C. Gilbert’s Erector Sets, and more. He is also cited as a pioneer in the use of polyethylene plastic in toys.

In 2000, Klamer was inducted into the Hasbro Inventor’s Hall of Fame and in 2005 he entered the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. He received the TAGIE (Toy & Game International Excellence) Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicago Toy & Game Group in 2009.

For more on Klamer’s career and legacy, see this entry at People of Play.

Funeral services will be held at Hillside Memorial Park in Los Angeles. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to The Toy Foundation, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, or another charitable organization.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.