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Jeff Knurek
Jeff Knurek is an American cartoonist, industrial designer, and toymaker. He is the current cartoonist for the syndicated Jumble puzzle, working with David L. Hoyt. Personal life Knurek was born in 1966 Wyandotte, Michigan. In 2007, Knurek became an organ donor when he donated a kidney to a family member. Knurek and his cousin underwent the transplantation surgery at the University of Michigan Health System’s Transplant Center on July 11, 2007. His cousin suffered from Polycystic kidney disease. He currently lives in Fishers, Indiana, with his wife Kathy and his children Sydney and Cameron. Professional life Knurek graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in industrial design. In 1989, while working for the I.D.E.A. toy invention studio, his creation Spikeball was marketed by Tomy. In 2002, Knurek partnered with David L. Hoyt, Tribune Content Agency, and Hasbro to develop the Boggle BrainBuster syndicated daily puzzle.Tribune Content Agency Biography - ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and graphic components of the work as part of their practice. Cartoonists may work in a variety of formats, including booklets, comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons, graphic novels, manuals, gag cartoons, storyboards, posters, shirts, books, advertisements, greeting cards, magazines, newspapers, webcomics, and video game packaging. Terminology Cartoonists may also be denoted by terms such as comics artist, comic book artist, graphic novel artist or graphic novelist. Ambiguity may arise because "comic book artist" may also refer to the person who only illustrates the comic, and "graphic novelist" may also refer to the person who only writes the script. History The English satirist and editorial cartoonist William Hogarth, w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tomy
is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Takara (founded in 1955). The company has its headquarters in Katsushika, Tokyo. History and corporate name Before the merger The company was named Tomy as an abridgement of Tomiyama, which was the founder's surname. Starting as a manufacturer, Tomy had the largest product development team in the toy industry and plaudits for its technology. Nonetheless, by its third generation, president Mikitaro Tomiyama decided to streamline the company to be more competitive with wholesaler Bandai. Bandai developed its products more quickly, which was more appealing to television properties that required a fast turnaround. Despite internal and external opposition, Tomiyama was determined to aggressively pursue TV licenses such as Akakage, Giant Rob ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Cartoonists
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams Soccer * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops. They enjoyed each other's company and decided to meet on a regular basis. NCS members work in many branches of the profession, including advertising, animation, newspaper comic strips and syndicated single-panel cartoons, comic books, editorial cartoons, gag cartoons, graphic novels, greeting cards, magazine and book illustration. Only recently has the National Cartoonists Society embraced web comics. Membership is limited to established professional cartoonists, with a few exceptions of outstanding persons in affiliated fields. The NCS is not a guild or labor union. The organization's stated primary purposes are "to advance the ideals and standards of professional cartooning in its many forms", "to promote and foster a soci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mac King
Mac King (born December 2, 1959) is an American magician who has performed on television specials, often as a co-host. He has his own family-friendly show, "The Mac King Comedy Magic Show", at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino in the Thunderland Showroom, in Las Vegas, Nevada. King's show is currently the longest running one-man show in the history of Las Vegas. Career After college graduation King began touring the comedy clubs with his one-man comedy magic act. Over the next nineteen years his career took off, to such an extent that for years he did over 200 shows a year. In the nineties he began to do television specials, and to appear at Las Vegas casinos. In January 2000, King became a permanent act at Harrah's, performing 10 shows a week. In addition to the TV specials and Harrah's performances, King performs at more than 60 private corporate events each year. Some of his better-known effects involve goldfish, Fig Newtons, and a yellow raincoat he claims is a magic cloak of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magic (illusion)
Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It is to be distinguished from paranormal magic which are effects claimed to be created through supernatural means. It is one of the oldest performing arts in the world. Modern entertainment magic, as pioneered by 19th-century magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, has become a popular theatrical art form. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, magicians such as Maskelyne and Devant, Howard Thurston, Harry Kellar, and Harry Houdini achieved widespread commercial success during what has become known as "the Golden Age of Magic." During this period, performance magic became a staple of Broadway theatre, vaudeville, and music halls. Magic retained its popularity in the television age, with magicians such as Paul Daniels, David ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area and is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife. The Las Vegas Valley as a whole serves as the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its luxurious and extremely large casino-hotels together with their associated activities. It is a top three destination in the United States for business conventions and a global leader in the hospitality industry, claiming more AAA Five Diamond hotels than any other city in the world. Today, Las Vegas annually ranks as o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fundex Games
Fundex Games, Ltd. was an American toy and game company based in Plainfield, Indiana. Founded in 1986, Fundex Games produced many different games including card games, dice games, domino-based games, magic tricks, board games, and children's toys. Fundex also produced a line of outdoor lawn and tailgate games. Fundex Games was founded by Peter Voigt and his son, Chip Voigt. Fundex Games had an exclusive partnership with the Professional Domino Association to market PDA-licensed domino games and other products for the United States market. Fundex's best selling game was Phase 10, which is the second best selling card game in the world, behind Uno. The rights to Phase 10 were sold to Uno-maker Mattel in 2010. In 2012, Fundex Games filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Indiana. The assets of the company were acquired in a bankruptcy auction by Poof-Slinky, Inc. Awards Fundex Games was awarded numerous iParenting Media Awards for its products: five awards for Hottest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of Kenner, Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, and Wizards of the Coast, among others. As of August 2020 over 81.5% of its shares were held by large financial institutions. Among its products are ''Transformers'', '' G.I. Joe'', ''Power Rangers'', '' Rom the Space Knight'', '' Micronauts'', ''M.A.S.K.'', ''Monopoly'', '' Furby'', ''Nerf'', '' Twister'', and ''My Little Pony'', and with the Entertainment One acquisition in 2019, franchises like Peppa Pig and PJ Masks. The Hasbro brand also spawned TV shows to promote its products, such as '' Family Game Night'' on the Discovery Family network, a joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery. History Hassenfeld Brothers Three Polish-Jewish brothers, Herman, Hillel, and Henry Hassenfeld, founded ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tribune Content Agency
Tribune Content Agency (TCA) is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (CTNYNS), Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media Services. TCA is headquartered in Chicago, and had offices in various American cities (Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Queensbury, New York; Arlington, Texas; Santa Monica, California), the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong. History Sidney Smith 's early comic strip '' The Gumps'' had a key role in the rise of syndication when Robert R. McCormick and Joseph Medill Patterson, who had both been publishing the ''Chicago Tribune'' since 1914, planned to launch a tabloid in New York, as comics historian Coulton Waugh explained: Patterson founded the Chicago Tribune Syndicate in 1918, managed by Arthur Crawford.Watson, Elmo Scott"The Era of Consolidation, 1890-1920" (Chapter VII) in ''A History Of Newspaper Syndicates In The United States, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spikeball
Roundnet (also commonly known as spikeball) is a net sport. The game is played between two teams, usually with two players each. Players initially line up around a small trampoline-like net at the start of a point. The game starts with a serve from one team to another, and teams alternate hitting the ball back to the net, and ends when the ball falls to the ground or an infraction occurs. Roundnet was originally created in 1989 by Jeff Knurek, inspired primarily by concepts from volleyball, although the equipment he created for the game became outdated and lost popularity in 1995. The sport experienced a revival in 2008 when Spikeball Inc. began promoting it. The company manufactures equipment for the sport, and so "spikeball" became a common name for the sport. Basics Roundnet features elements from many other sports such as volleyball and four square. The game is played between two teams of two people. Players are positioned at 4 points around the net, with partners located ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Industrial Designer
Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advance of the manufacture or production of the product. It consists purely of repeated, often automated, replication, while craft-based design is a process or approach in which the form of the product is determined by the product's creator largely concurrent with the act of its production. All manufactured products are the result of a design process, but the nature of this process can vary. It can be conducted by an individual or a team, and such a team could include people with varied expertise (e.g. designers, engineers, business experts, etc.). It can emphasize intuitive creativity or calculated scientific decision-making, and often emphasizes a mix of both. It can be influenced by factors as varied as materials, production processes, business strategy, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
