As the inventor of Micro Machines, I thought that collectors would be interested in a little history of this great toy.
I conceived the idea for Micro Machines in my toy shop in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin shortly after getting into the toy business. I had talked with someone from Galoob at Toy Fair who said they wanted to develop a new, reasonably priced car line. I worked with my model maker/designer, to prepare 24 micro cars and packaging. I still have the original models and packaging.
The first and only company I sent my prototypes to was Galoob. They loved it and wanted to go to contract immediately. This doesn’t happen very often in the toy business.
Saul Jodell and David Galoob were the masterminds behind marketing our concept. Their vision at Galoob drove Micro Machines to become number one in the world.
Micro Machines thrived for years until Hasbro bought Galoob and Micro Machines for their Star Wars line and eventually put the line on the shelf. So far attempts to bring Micro Machines back have failed.
My wife, Kay Hedeen and I are still inventing at Fun City Toys in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. We work with our own ideas and with other inventors. We have sold numerous toy concepts over the years, including the first seven Nerf Dart Guns, the Silly Sam line, the Spider Ball line, and about 100 other toys and games.
Clemens V. Hedeen, Jr. and Kay Lee Hedeen
I conceived the idea for Micro Machines in my toy shop in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin shortly after getting into the toy business. I had talked with someone from Galoob at Toy Fair who said they wanted to develop a new, reasonably priced car line. I worked with my model maker/designer, to prepare 24 micro cars and packaging. I still have the original models and packaging.
The first and only company I sent my prototypes to was Galoob. They loved it and wanted to go to contract immediately. This doesn’t happen very often in the toy business.
Saul Jodell and David Galoob were the masterminds behind marketing our concept. Their vision at Galoob drove Micro Machines to become number one in the world.
Micro Machines thrived for years until Hasbro bought Galoob and Micro Machines for their Star Wars line and eventually put the line on the shelf. So far attempts to bring Micro Machines back have failed.
My wife, Kay Hedeen and I are still inventing at Fun City Toys in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. We work with our own ideas and with other inventors. We have sold numerous toy concepts over the years, including the first seven Nerf Dart Guns, the Silly Sam line, the Spider Ball line, and about 100 other toys and games.
Clemens V. Hedeen, Jr. and Kay Lee Hedeen
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