Richard and Betty James, determined to find success, convinced the Gimbels department store to let them do an in-store demonstration. But people weren’t buying.Ĭlearly customers needed to be shown what a Slinky could do. Then James began to sell his Slinkys in local stores. His wife, Betty, came up with the perfect name-Slinky. For several years he tested various metals, thicknesses, and proportions to come up with the perfect design. This unexpected response intrigued James, who immediately realized that it would make a great toy. The spring hit the ground-then kept spiraling, coil by coil, over the office floor! As James worked, he accidentally knocked one of the rejected prototypes off his desk.
His quest? To develop an inner spring that would assure that the device-even if rocked at sea-would give an accurate reading. In 1942, marine engineer Richard James of Philadelphia was working on a sensitive marine meter designed to monitor horsepower on naval battleships. Sometimes they launch loads of fun, like these classic toys that delight us as kids.Īdvertisement for Slinky, 'Insist on Slinky Toys,' 1957 / THF109573 Accidents happen-and not all have a bad outcome.
