It’s fun for a girl and a boy. Ninety-eight coils of high-grade, blue-black Swedish steel. Yes, the Slinky. In its first 60 years, 300 million were sold. That’s a lot of steel. And a lot of fun.
The Slinky was invented by naval engineer Richard James in 1943 during an experiment with tension coils. He accidentally dropped a spring on the floor and watched as it began to “walk.” Richard and his wife, Betty, formed James Industries and began manufacturing Slinkys and selling them for $1 each. The toy remained modestly priced throughout its history as Betty wanted it to be affordable for all. In fact, a version of the original can be purchased online today for as little as $3.99.
The coiled toy was not an immediate hit, though. It wasn’t until 1945 when it was introduced in Gimbels Department Store in Philadelphia during the Christmas shopping season that it took off. Richard and Betty were granted permission to set up an inclined plane in the toy section of the store to demonstrate it, and the entire inventory of 400 units sold in 90 minutes.
All this slinkiness apparently didn’t bode well for the James marriage, though. In 1960, Betty filed for divorce. Richard left the company and became an evangelical missionary. Betty died of congestive heart failure in 2008 at age 90 after serving as James Industries' president from 1960-1998. The Slinky was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2000 and named to the Toy Industry Association's Century of Toys List in 2003. After some consolidations and acquisitions, the Slinky brand was sold to Just Play in 2020, and kids continue to enjoy it today.
The Slinky can perform a number of tricks, most notably traveling down a flight of steps end-over-end while stretching and re-forming itself — or at least that is what it did in the TV commercials. I was never able to get quite the same experience. You may also remember the Slinky Dog and the Slinky Train. The dog version experienced a comeback in 1995 thanks to the “Toy Story” movies. How about the Plastic Slinky? This apparently came about as kids were inserting the metal Slinkys into electrical sockets. I never tried that. Thankfully.
I do remember the distinct “laser gun” sound I could make with my Slinky. I also used it to try to get better reception from my transistor radio. I had to find some use for the toy after my brother and I stretched it out so much that it wouldn’t compress properly again. Still have a Slinky around somewhere? Not sure what to do with it? I am told that, when mounted on a bird feeder pole, a Slinky can deter squirrels. Give that a try.
That catchy jingle for the television commercial that reminds us of the Slinky being “fun for a girl and a boy” was created in 1962 and became the longest-running jingle in advertising history. More than likely, you are singing it right now. “Everyone knows it’s Slinky.”
Have a great week, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
