in August 1987 and was an immediate success, becoming the eighth best-selling toy in Canada in 1987 and helping Irwin Toy recover from $2.6 million losses in 1985. Irwin Toy anticipated Zaks would become a $20 to $30 million business across North America within two years. Inventor Jim Ziegler suggested Zaks' compatibility with more established construction toys Lego and Tyco helped with their marketing. After the launch of Zaks, Lego released two television commercials featuring a boy named Zack, "a Lego maniac"; the ad campaign was perceived by some observers as an acknowledgment of Zaks' release. Zaks was distributed in the United States in 1988 by Ohio Art Company, and was also released in Europe and Australia. By 1990, Zaks had reached sales of about $25 million but sales had slowed significantly. By 1995 Zaks had sold $28 million worldwide. Sets Irwin Toy initially released Zaks sets with 52, 144, 274, and 474 pieces, with prices ranging from about C$10 to C$40. Ohio Arts released 48, 96, 152 and 328 piece Zaks sets in 1988 and added 16 and 354 piece sets in 1989. Ohio Arts also released themed sets, including sets to build a magic circle, pink pig, masks, a dirt buggy, and a battle cruiser. Awards and recognition Zaks won the Canadian Toy Testing Council Award of Merit as Best Construction Toy of 1987 and the 1988 Canada Award for Business Excellence Gold Medal in Industrial Design. Zaks was the Australian Toy Association 1998 Hobby and Craft winner and runner-up for Toy of the Year. The Center for Science in the Public Interest gave Zaks its 1988 Hubbard Lemon Award for misleading advertising in the Toys category. A spokesman for the awards stated that "Zaks simply can't be made to do the wild gyrations that appear in the commercial". Ohio Art Company responded that they "try to show in the television commercial that the product can be animated and that the pieces move after they're put together." Zaks was included in the exhibition "Art in Everyday Life: Observations on Contemporary Canadian Design" held at The Power Plant art gallery from June 24 to September 11, 1988, and in the exhibition's accompanying book. The exhibition was a curated survey exploring mass-produced objects designed in Canada from 1967 to 1987. References External links Art and craft toys Construction toys 1980s toys