"Transformers" creator Henry Orenstein passes away

12/15/21

Sad news out of New Jersey today. Former Hasbro employee Henry Orenstein has passed away at his home in New Jersey at the age of 98. While he has an important role in Transformers history, he also led an extraordinary life that you can read about here.

After almost four decades on toy store shelves, it is hard to imagine a time when Transformers were not part of the fabric of the toy world. However, in the early 80's the line did not exist until several people came together to take a series of toys by Japanese company Takara and put them together into a cohesive toy line with a united fictional setting. One of these people was Henry Orenstein, who saw Takara's toys at Toy Fair and proposed the idea of a single toy line to Hasbro. While he was not the person who invented the toys, Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld once called him a "catalyst" for the creation of the Transformers brand.

Ben's World of Transformers extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Orenstein.