Aronberg Goldgehn Secures TTAB Victory, Freeing Use of "Mentchees" in Jewish Toy Market

04.22.25

Aronberg Goldgehn attorneys Chip De Preter and Sofia Quezada Hastings secured a strategic victory before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), which ruled that the term “MENTCHEES” could not be registered as a trademark for doll figurines. The ruling followed a four-year opposition between two New York-based toy retailers.

Chazak Kinder Inc., a Brooklyn-based manufacturer specializing in religious-themed toys for the Orthodox Jewish community, opposed a trademark application filed by Mitzvah Kinder, Inc., which claimed exclusive rights to the term for small figurines. Chazak Kinder showed that “mentchees” — derived from the Yiddish word “mensch,” loosely translating to “a person of integrity and honor” — was commonly used throughout the Jewish toy market as a descriptive term, not a brand identifier.

De Preter and Quezada Hastings presented extensive evidence demonstrating that “mentchees” and its variations were widely used in a generic and descriptive manner by multiple manufacturers and retailers. The board agreed, finding the term lacked distinctiveness and could not function as a source-identifying trademark. As a result, the application was denied, preserving the right to continue using the term.

“I am extremely pleased with the great work Aronberg Goldgehn provided in winning this case,” said Chazak Kinder founder Jack Schwartz. “They understood this was not just about a trademark, but about our community’s right to keep using ‘mentchees’ as we always have. This result benefits not only myself, but also all retailers selling these Jewish-themed mentchees and the children who enjoy playing with them.”

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View the reported decision: Chazak Kinder Inc. v. Mitzvah Kinder, Inc. Opposition No. 91272685