Milton Levine, Better known as “Uncle Milton”, co-creator of the Ant Farm, has passed away. He died of natural causes on January 16th at a care facility in Thousand Oaks. He was 97.
In 1946, what would later become Uncle Milton industries was started by Levine and his Brother-in-Law, E.J. Cossman, as a mail-order company selling novelty toys. At a picnic in 1956 Levine noticed a parade of ants which reminded him of his childhood at his Uncles farm collecting ants in jars and watching them “cavort” The L.A. Times reports. From there Levine and Cossman developed the Ant Farm initially paying ant harvesters a penny a piece for each Red Harvester Ant they collected from the Mojave Desert. The Ant Farms have since sold over 20 million units.
Milton Martin Levine was born Nov. 3, 1913, in Pittsburgh to Harry and Mary Levine, Jewish immigrants from Russia. His father started a chain of dry cleaners.
Levine is survived by Mauricette, his wife of 65 years; son Steven; daughters Harriet and Ellen; sisters Pearl Cossman and Ruth Shriber; and three grandchildren.