Swarthmore inventor and artist Remo Saraceni, who invented the giant piano featured in the movie “Big” is being remembered this week, writes Ximena Conde for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Remo Saraceni died Monday, June 3, at age 89.

Mr. Saraceni invented the Big Piano in 1982 and its popularity soared after it was featured in the 1988 Tom Hanks movie, “Big.”

Longtime friends joined Mr. Saraceni in Swarthmore for his final moments, said his assistant, Benjamin Medaugh.

“He somehow found ways to make people find joy in very simple things,” said Medaugh.

His genius came from maintaining the playfulness of a child and finding charm in the ordinary, Medaugh said.

Mr. Saraceni was born in Fossacesia, Italy, in 1935. Growing up in a household with limited resources, he learned to be creative, fashioning toys out of materials around him.

He arrived in the U.S. in the mid-60s, working on his inventions during the day and helping the U.S. Navy with its space efforts at night.

By the 1980s Mr. Saraceni’s toy inventions were selling at the legendary toy store FAO Schwarz. Anne Spielberg, a screenwriter for “Big” saw Saraceni’s piano in the store showroom and added it to the film.

Read more about the life of Remo Saraceni in The Philadelphia Inquirer.