Theodore Walter Wolf (July 21, 1922 – June 21, 1999), better known as Tobin Wolf and Ted Wolf, was an American writer who was known for creating the

animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

ThunderCats ''ThunderCats'' is a media franchise, featuring a fictional group of cat-like humanoid aliens. The characters were created by Tobin Wolf and featured in an animated television series named ''ThunderCats'', running from 1985 to 1989, whic ...

''. He was also an inventor with several

patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

to his name, mostly toy- and game-related.

Biography

Wolf was born in 1922. His father died when Wolf was a child and he was raised by his grandparents. His grandparents later gave him up to a

foster home Foster care is a system in which a underage, minor has been placed into a ward (law), ward, group home (Residential Child Care Community, residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, ref ...

when he was 10. Eventually, he moved out, putting himself through high school and marrying at 19. Wolf enlisted to fight in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and lost part of his leg in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

. After the war, he studied

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

and worked at Westinghouse, patenting several inventions. Wolf later became primarily involved in the development of toys and board games. He developed a version of the portable

record player A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration Waveform, waveforms are recorded as correspond ...

. In 1981, Wolf sketched a group of superpowered animals which combined superhuman and superanimal powers. After pitching the idea to several studios,

Telepictures Telepictures (also known as Telepictures Productions; formerly known as Telepictures Distribution and Telepictures Corporation) is an American television show and filmmaking company, currently operating as a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainmen ...

agreed to develop the series in 1984 and it became ''

''. Wolf died in 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Tobin 1922 births 1999 deaths American television writers American male television writers Writers from Pittsburgh Screenwriters from Pennsylvania 20th-century American inventors 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American male writers