Reuben Klamer

Reuben Klamer (born in Canton, Ohio) is an inventor of the classic Milton Bradley (currently owned by Hasbro) board game The Game Of Life. He has invented more than 200 products which include toys, games, textiles, plastics, aviation, publishing, music, and film.

Klamer studied ancient and modern history at George Washington University and earned an additional Bachelor of Science marketing degree from Ohio State University, then did postgraduate work in engineering at the University of Michigan.

During World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy Midshipman School at Northwestern University in 1943, and served in the South Pacific.

He started his own advertising agency then worked for Ideal Toy Company later becoming an executive in Eldon Industries.

Klamer created the Art Linkletter Spin-A-Hoop to compete with Wham-O’s hula hoop as well as "Gaylord the Walking Dog", "Busy Blocks" and Fisher-Price.

Klamer was approached by the producers of the NBC TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. television series to design a special weapon for the show's secret agents. Klamer produced a toy version for Ideal where the weapon “converts into rifle with: stock, silencer, telescopic sight, bipod,” according to the box.

Inspired by the weapon, Star Trek producer Gene Rodenberry approached Klamer about designing "a really big gun" when network executives demanded his show be more "action packed". He built the phaser rifle used in the Where No Man Has Gone Before episode of Star Trek: The Original Series

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