LIMA Licensing Hall-of-Famer Jack L. Weissman passed away Wednesday in New York City.Born in Philadelphia in 1928, Weissman was known throughout the industry as "Mr. Snoopy" after he obtained the licensing rights for the Peanuts character on beh

April 6, 2018

1 Min Read

LIMA Licensing Hall-of-Famer Jack L. Weissman passed away Wednesday in New York City.

Born in Philadelphia in 1928, Weissman was known throughout the industry as "Mr. Snoopy" after he obtained the licensing rights for the Peanuts character on behalf of Marketing Footwear Associates, a move that is widely considered the genesis of character licensing in footwear.

Before starting his own footwear company, Weissman worked in his family shoe store and worked his way up the ranks at other footwear brands including Kitty Kelly Shoe and Ideal Shoe, a division of the national chain J.M. Fields.

MFA, became an international business and in addition to Snoopy, licensed E.T., the National Football League, Pac-Man and Budweiser.

In 1974, Weissman started Butterfly Originals, a licensed children's accessory company with international distribution of more than 40 licenses of Snoopy/Peanuts, The Muppets and Pac-Man.

Weissman was also a principal in a licensed school supply company, Plymouth.

Eventually Weissman sold MFA and created the licensing agency, Marketing Licensing Associates, with partner, Robert Rowan. In 1999, Weissman was elected to the LIMA Licensing Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Joyce Mantyla, as well as two children, daughter Rande Joiner and son Lee Weissman. A memorial service will be held Sept. 23 at the Community Church of New York, 40 East 35th Street, New York City, at 2 p.m.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry Article
Join 62,000+ members. Yes, it's completely free.

You May Also Like