Jeff Knurek is an American

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

, industrial designer, and toymaker. He is the current cartoonist for the syndicated Jumble puzzle, working with David L. Hoyt.

Personal life

Knurek was born in 1966

Wyandotte, Michigan Wyandotte ( ) is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Wyandotte is located in southeastern Michigan, approximately south of Detro ...

. In 2007, Knurek became an organ donor when he donated a kidney to a family member. Knurek and his cousin underwent the transplantation surgery at the University of Michigan Health System’s Transplant Center on July 11, 2007. His cousin suffered from

Polycystic kidney disease Polycystic kidney disease (PKD or PCKD, also known as polycystic kidney syndrome) is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney. These ...

. He currently lives in

Fishers, Indiana Fishers is a city in the Fall Creek Township, Hamilton County, Indiana, Fall Creek and Delaware Township, Hamilton County, Indiana, Delaware townships in Hamilton County, Indiana, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 United Sta ...

, with his wife Kathy and his children Sydney and Cameron.

Professional life

Knurek graduated from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

with a degree in industrial design. In 1989, while working for the I.D.E.A. toy invention studio, his creation

Spikeball Roundnet (also known as Spikeball) is a ball game created in 1989 by Jeff Knurek, inspired primarily by concepts from volleyball. The game is played between two teams, usually with two players each. Players initially line up around a small tramp ...

was marketed by

Tomy (trade name, trading as Takara Tomy in Asia and Tomy elsewhere) is a Japanese toy company. It was established in 1924 by Eiichirō Tomiyama as , became known for creating popular toys like the B-29 friction toy and luck-based game Pop-up Pi ...

. In 2002, Knurek partnered with David L. Hoyt, Tribune Content Agency, and

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...

to develop the Boggle BrainBuster syndicated daily puzzle. Knurek is also the inventor of "What's in Ned's Head?" a popular game that has received several parenting awards. Since its creation in 2003, many schools are using this game as a secondary bonus to their classrooms and as an adjunct to speech therapy. In 2006, he developed Fundex Games's award winning "Monster Under My Bed!" He worked with

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

magician Mac King to create and market Mac King's "Magic in a Minute" line of children's promotions, toys, magic tricks, videos, books, and events. Knurek took over as cartoonist for the Jumble in 2008, becoming the third cartoonist the syndicated feature's history. In 2014, he and Hoyt produced the Just Jumble app. He has been a member of the

National Cartoonists Society The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

since 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knurek, Jeff American cartoonists American advertising artists and illustrators American toy designers Puzzle designers American industrial designers Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design alumni