As a young boy, Levine collected ants in a jar at his uncle's farm in Pennsylvania.
During World War II, he served in the European Theatre where his engineer unit built bridges in France and Germany.
The duo made arrangements with Nosco Plastics, a division of National Organ Supply, that also manufactured the plastic prizes in Cracker Jack to make flat toy soldiers for mail order that they advertised originally as "100 Toy Soldiers for $1" (later $1.25) that was advertised in nearly every American comic book of the time.
[4] Levine and Cossman also successfully mass marketed the potato gun,[5] toy shrunken heads[6] to hang from car rear view mirrors and balloon animals.
Business boomed after advertisements on after school programs prompted thousands of shipments a week.