Mr. Levine died recently at age ninety-seven. During his life, he saw the sale of more than twenty million of his ant colonies. He was part inventor, part businessman and part educator.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Milton Levine was not trained in the study of insects, also known as entomology. But he knew a lot about ants, and he designed an appealing way to share his knowledge. He respected the creatures. He sometimes said he had never stepped on an ant.

Mr. Levine’s son Steven says his father began his career as a maker of unusual toys after World War Two. He had returned to his birthplace in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after serving in the United States military. During the war, he built bridges in Germany for the invading allied troops of General George S. Patton.

BOB DOUGHTY: Steven Levine says his father got the idea for his future career from a business newsletter. The newsletter suggested that the best chances for jobs at the time were in bobby pins and toys.

Milton Levine did not want to make bobby pins, the small fasteners for women’s hair. He and Mr. Cossman decided instead to make toys. They understood that American society was about to change. The huge population increase known as the Baby Boom was beginning. There would be a huge demand for children’s playthings.

Milton Levine, co-inventor of the classic Ant Farm educational toy, poses with his invention in 2006

FAITH LAPIDUS: The two businessmen moved their company to Hollywood, California, in nineteen fifty-two. At that time, Milton Levine got the idea for an educational toy that would earn him lasting fame. He saw ants parading around a swimming pool while he was at an Independence Day celebration.