Hall Of Fame
2004
Bill Edmonson
Bill began his career in 1962 in Denver, CO. He was always an independent agent representing toy manufacturers primarily in the mountain states. Bill supported and was active in a number of local and national manufacturer’s representative organizations. He earned numerous sales awards from the manufactures he represented for outstanding sales achievements. He served on many manufacturer sponsored “rep councils” developing programs and products for the retail market.
Date of Retirement: At the young age of 80
Deceased: June 4, 2004
Harvey & Suzanne Prince
In 1959 Suzanne and Harvey started covering New England and Upper New York state. They moved to California after theToy Fair in 1964 and started covering California. In 1969 they took on the 13 western states, by 1982 it was England and by 1995 it was the world. In 1987 they started warehousing & distributing throughout the US for those companies they represent.
Date of Retirement: Harvey passed away January 26, 2024. Suzanne is retired.
Peter “Pete” Rusch
Pete began his toy career in 1965 when he moved to Costa Mesa where he managed two of his dad’s Toy House stores. He eventually sold 7 of the stores to Gambles and purchased the Costa Mesa franchise. In 1974, after the merger of Toy House and Toy World, he replaced Jack Silverwood as toy buyer for Gambles Import. In 1990 Pete shifted to advertising and trade show development. To date his most honored achievement was accepting this award on behalf of his dad, Bud Rusch who was a real pioneer in the industry.
Date of Retirement: Retired, unknown date
Karen Scarvie
Karen Scarvie, formerly Karen Holland, founded the Wooden Horse of Los Gatos, Calif. in 1971. Her newsletters and seminars brought her recognition as a valuable resource for information on children and play. She helped launch ASTRA, serving as its President in 1998, and was a founder of The Good Toy Group. She also provided seminars on business topics for industry colleagues and was the first specialty toy retailer to receive ASTRA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Date of Retirement: 2006
ToyFest West
is hosted by
Western Toy and Hobby Representatives Association
A non-profit organization