Irvin Sylvan "Kip" Kipper, (November 13, 1916 – April 21, 2016) was a US Army Air Forces bomber pilot, prisoner of war, and the founder and namesake of Kip's Toyland, the oldest toy store in Los Angeles, located in the Farmer's Market since 1945.
[1][2][3] Irvin Kipper was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 13, 1916, and his family moved to Los Angeles in 1920.
[1] In 1944, he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, ultimately becoming an officer and pilot of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress during World War II.
[12] When Kipper returned to Los Angeles after the war, he purchased a small store to sell flags.
Part of the reason he chose to open a toy store was because after the trauma he experienced during the war, he wanted to bring joy to those around him.