The Slinky was invented by Richard James, a Penn State graduate, in the 1940s while he was working as a naval engineer. James’s creative epiphany came in the middle of World War II as he developed stabilizing technology for Navy ships in Philadelphia. While working at Cramp Shipyard, James reportedly knocked a sample of torsion springs off a shelf and watched them turn over themselves with signature Slinky-like undulation as they hit the floor.
Intrigued, James and two colleagues, Dylan Gedig and Coleman Barber, developed plans to turn the strangely-moving spring into a children’s toy with the help of a $500 loan. According to the Atlantic, James then spent about two years testing different spring lengths and metals in order to find the perfect combination that eventually produced the familiar, fluid coil.
The Slinky was named by Richard's wife, Betty James, who thought the name best described the toy's graceful movement.
I remember the annoying commercial for the slinky. Here's a version; https://youtu.be/8-9scNP5KWk?si=FBSXya0Kyu9KDnyz
ReplyDeleteLike a politician - useless, but fun to watch fall down stairs....
ReplyDeleteMarketing is everything. Without the name "Slinky" I doubt it woukd have been so successful.
ReplyDelete