Ant Farm Grows To Fill Toy Niche

Ventura County Star:

A giant remote-controlled ant is crawling across the conference table at Uncle Milton Industries Inc. in Westlake Village.

Frank Adler, vice president of marketing, works the controls with a crystal skull device that hints at its branding as a licensed toy from the “Indiana Jones” movie.

“Who better to do ants – a remote control ant?” Adler asks.

It’s a good question, since Uncle Milton is built on a business that traces its success back to the original Ant Farm sold in 1956. President Steve Levine is the son of the company’s founder and Ant Farm inventor, Milton Levine.

“This started it all,” Steve Levine said, holding up an Ant Farm box.

But since then, the company has grown – a lot – and expanded to include new toys that stick to science and nature themes.

Going forward, Uncle Milton continues to invest heavily in research and development for creating toys.

Recent growth is coming from toys tied to big names, such as the “Indiana Jones” line of science and learning toys. In 2009, the company is introducing a line of “Star Wars” science toys.

Photo by Uncle Milton Industries Inc..

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