Press coverage began early in my career as a toy inventor. There was a natural curiosity about me having a Ph.D. I was soon referred to as the Toy Doctor. In 1970 Hasbro employed me. It was there that my research and the exploration of baby toys was done as well as a line of wooden toys endorsed by Captain Kangaroo (see video).
Very soon after leaving Hasbro I invented the game Connect Four (1973) and have continued to this day as a freelance inventor. Without exception all the press releases, articles and TV appearances were unsolicited. I am always happy to tell about the 120+ toys and games I have licensed, and always enjoy telling the story of how I invented Connect Four.
I continue to get calls from friends around the world telling me that they have seen Connect Four in television spots or praised as a therapeutic game. It has been immortalized by the famous Duane Hanson in his super-realism sculpture piece and even in a photograph with former First Lady Barbara Bush.
On July 11, 2018 Fordham University (NYC) published a feature in their Fordham Magazine called “Toy Story: Catching Up with Howard Wexler, Inventor of the Classic Game Connect 4.” I was interviewed by Ryan Stellabotte and the article is by far one of the most interesting articles that sums up my life and career in a few pages.
