In Memory of Stephanie Sadagursky

In the early 1970s Stephanie and her husband, Paul, began going to flea markets and became captivated by the wonder and beauty of tin litho toys made in the US and Japan. Paul wanted a family business and Stephanie agreed to go along. In 1974 they created Happy Days, named after a tin bank that they found at the 110 Flea Market on Long Island. They began selling tin toys and comic character merchandise at antique markets and toy shows, dragging their two pre-teen daughters along with them.

At that time, cast iron toys and banks were highly valued while tin toys, wind-ups and battery-operated toys – the toys that Stephie and Paul were drawn to – were basically considered junk. Stephanie used her design skills to set up visually compelling displays and create ATW ads that drew people in and captured the eyes and hearts of collectors. She sparked her customers’ imaginations with stories about the toys on display.

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