What a joy! We open in Eddy Goldfarb’s kitchen, the 98 year old toy inventor at play with one of his 800 creations, that childhood perennial: the bubble gun. The frenetic energy that triggers the solar powered toys that line the window could use a good winding when compared to our industriously prolific Geppetto. His first three toys were conceived aboard a Navy sub. Back home he found work designing cereal box premiums. (The Roy Rogers quick shooter hat must be seen to be believed.) Starting with Ker-Plunk, Goldfarb found great success in mechanical games that came with built-in gimmicks. He frequently teamed with well known toy manufacturers, but of all the inventions on display, there’s nary an established character in the bunch. Why give Bugs or Mickey a cut of the royalties when patentable Chattering Teeth and Stomper Cars foot the bill? (The four-wheeler holds the record for his most successful toy.) He still drives, invents, and is the talk of the retirement community. And don’t forget his loving daughter, Lyn Goldfarb. She directed. The streams as part of the Joyce Forum Short Film Festival. (2020) — Scott Marks
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