Toy inventor Burt Meyer, who dreamed up Lite-Brite and Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots, dies age 99

Burt Meyer, who invented toys like Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots, Lite-Brite and MouseTrap in the 1960s that delighted a generation of childhoods, has died. He was 99.

Meyer’s creations arrived in the postwar boom, when plastic molding and mass production transformed how American children played. That shift opened the door for more dynamic toys, and Meyer seized the moment with designs that would stay on shelves for decades.

Meyer died on Oct. 30, said Rebecca Mathis, executive director at King-Bruwaert House, a retirement community in Burr Ridge, Illinois, where he lived.

Meyer succeeded by straddling two often conflicting worlds, carrying a boundless childlike imagination alongside a pragmatic understanding of machines.

The idea for Lite-Brite came in 1966 when Meyer was walking in Manhat