Kay Kamen

Herman "Kay" Kamen (January 27, 1892 – October 28, 1949)^[1] was a merchandising executive, noted primarily for his work with the Walt Disney Company.

Kamen was born January 27, 1892 in Baltimore, Maryland, and spent his early life working as a merchant and an advertising man.^[1] Kamen's firm, the Kamen-Blair company, negotiated merchandising agreements for a number of prominent animated figures. In 1932, Walt and Roy O. Disney, contacted Kamen with the proposal to do so for their characters. Sensing a major opportunity, Kamen immediately withdrew his life savings from the bank and sewed the money into his coat for the two-day train trip to Los Angeles the same day and stayed awake for the entire trip for fear of having his coat stolen. Upon arriving at the Disney Brothers' office, Kamen spread the money on their desk and promised them that amount plus 50% of subsequent revenue he would generate with the merchandising license.^[2]

As a result, Kamen (Although briefly delayed by him falling asleep while the Disneys were privately conferring over the offer^[3]) secured the licensing agreement for all Disney merchandising, a contract his firm would hold for the next two decades.^{[4][ChWDC 1]} Kamen's firm quickly monetized Mickey Mouse's image, providing a much-needed line of cash to the struggling Disney firm through its Walt Disney Enterprises division. The following year, Kamen's firm developed the Mickey Mouse watch, which was produced by Ingersoll-Waterbury and soon became the bestselling watch in the United States.^[5][6] By 1948, revenue of licensed Disney products totaled more than $100 million.^[6] Kamen and WDE developed product lines for many of Disney's films and franchises, particularly Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Kamen died in the 1949 Air France Lockheed Constellation crash on São Miguel Island, in the Azores.^[7]

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