Eli Joseph Cossman (April 13, 1918 – December 7, 2002) was an American inventor,

businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...

, entrepreneur and author. With

Milton Levine Milton Martin Levine (November 3, 1913 – January 16, 2011) was an American entrepreneur who was the co-founder of Uncle Milton Toys. Biography He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 3, 1913, to Harry and Mary Levine. As a young bo ...

, Cossman was the co-creator of the

ant farm A formicarium (: formicaria or formicariums) or ant farm is a vivarium which is designed primarily for the study of ant colonies and how ants behave and for the enjoyment of ants as pets. Those who study ant behavior are known as myrmecologists ...

and

spud gun A spud gun or potato gun is a small toy gun used to fire a fragment of potato. To operate, one punctures the surface of a potato with the gun's hollow tip and pries out a small pellet which fits in the muzzle. Squeezing the grip causes a small b ...

toys. He also made millions of dollars selling various

novelties A novelty item is an object which is specifically designed to serve no practical purpose, and is sold for its uniqueness, humor, or simply as something new (hence "novelty", or newness). The term also applies to practical items with fanciful or ...

and conducting sales seminars.

Career

Cossman started the Los Angeles-based Cossman & Levine Inc. with his brother-in-law

in 1946. In 1965, Levine bought out Cossman, renamed the company Uncle Milton Industries and packaged the product as Uncle Milton's

Ant farm A formicarium (: formicaria or formicariums) or ant farm is a vivarium which is designed primarily for the study of ant colonies and how ants behave and for the enjoyment of ants as pets. Those who study ant behavior are known as myrmecologists ...

. A 1989 article in the Chicago Tribune called him the "King of the Thingamajig".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cossman, E Joseph American inventors 20th-century American businesspeople 1918 births 2002 deaths