{"id":104,"date":"2021-12-27T06:53:30","date_gmt":"2021-12-27T06:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/?p=104"},"modified":"2022-01-02T02:28:35","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T02:28:35","slug":"who-invented-slinky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/who-invented-slinky\/","title":{"rendered":"Who and When Invented the Slinky: History of the Slinky Toy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The slinky is one of the most popular toys in the world. It has been around for over 60 years!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_38 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><label for=\"item\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/who-invented-slinky\/#Who_invented_it\" title=\"Who invented it?\">Who invented it?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/who-invented-slinky\/#How_Was_Slinky_Toy_Invented\" title=\"How Was Slinky Toy Invented?\">How Was Slinky Toy Invented?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/who-invented-slinky\/#When_was_it_invented\" title=\"When was it invented?\">When was it invented?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/who-invented-slinky\/#Why_is_it_called_a_slinky_toy\" title=\"Why is it called a &#8220;slinky&#8221; toy?\">Why is it called a &#8220;slinky&#8221; toy?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/who-invented-slinky\/#Slinkys_in_popular_culture\" title=\"Slinkys in popular culture\">Slinkys in popular culture<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_invented_it\"><\/span>Who invented it?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-108 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-2-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"Who invented slinky toy\" width=\"810\" height=\"424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-2-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-2-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-2-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-2-810x424.jpg 810w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-2-1140x597.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-2-375x195.jpg 375w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-2.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The inventor&#8217;s name was <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Richard_T._James\">Richard James<\/a>, and he came up with this toy while working as an engineer at his father-in-law&#8217;s factory. He accidentally knocked some springs off a shelf that were then hooked together by gravity &#8211; voila, the first &#8220;slinkys&#8221; were born!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Was_Slinky_Toy_Invented\"><\/span>How Was Slinky Toy Invented?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-107 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-1-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"How slinky toy was invented\" width=\"810\" height=\"424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-1-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-1-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-1-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-1-810x424.jpg 810w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-1-1140x597.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-1-375x195.jpg 375w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Copy-of-VS-1.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It all started in 1943 when naval engineer Richard James was working on a spring that would support sensitive instruments. One day, he absentmindedly stepped off the stairs with this new invention and noticed that it stretched down to the bottom step in an interesting way. He thought about how much fun children might have playing with such a toy, so he made some prototypes for his wife Betty\u2019s birthday present.<\/p>\n<p>The slinky was an instant hit. It sold out at Gimbels department store in Philadelphia on the first day, and quickly became a national sensation. Betty James even had to trademark the name \u201cslinky\u201d to prevent other toy companies from cashing in on its success.<\/p>\n<p>Today, more than 300 million slinkys have been sold, making it one of the most popular toys of all time. It\u2019s even been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_was_it_invented\"><\/span>When was it invented?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-109 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/when-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"When slinky toy was invented\" width=\"810\" height=\"424\" srcset=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/when-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/when-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/when-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/when-810x424.jpg 810w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/when-1140x597.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/when-375x195.jpg 375w, https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/when.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Slinky toy was invented in 1943.\u00a0Richard James was playing with some metal springs and noticed that they walked down the aisle like a snake. From there, the slinky toy was born. It became an instant success and is still popular today. The slinky was actually patented in 1945, so it&#8217;s been around for quite some time!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_it_called_a_slinky_toy\"><\/span>Why is it called a &#8220;slinky&#8221; toy?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The name comes from the German word &#8220;schlinge&#8221;, meaning long, flexible object. Another version is that it is a combination of the words &#8220;spring&#8221; and &#8220;link.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Slinkys_in_popular_culture\"><\/span>Slinkys in popular culture<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>What else can you use your slinky for besides walking downstairs or playing with as a child?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You can tie string throughout the toy and create an obstacle course.<\/li>\n<li>The springy nature of the toy makes it easy to attach to other objects for fun playtime!<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s also great for science experiments &#8211; try suspending it from a metal coat hanger and see how long it takes to fall.<\/li>\n<li>You can even use it as a makeshift phone charger! Wrap the slinky around your phone, plug in the other end, and wait for it to start charging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking for a way to de-stress, stay active, or just have some good old-fashioned fun, the slinky is the perfect option!<\/p>\n<p>Thanks, Richard James, for creating such a timeless classic. Check the <a href=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/best-metal-slinky-toys\/\">best slinkys<\/a> we can get these days!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The slinky is one of the most popular toys in the world. It has been around for over 60 years! Who invented it? The inventor&#8217;s name was Richard James, and he came up with this toy while working as an engineer at his father-in-law&#8217;s factory. He accidentally knocked some springs off a shelf that were [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.10 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Who and When Invented the Slinky: History of the Slinky Toy - Slinky Fan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/slinkyfan.com\/who-invented-slinky\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who and When Invented the Slinky: History of the Slinky Toy - Slinky Fan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The slinky is one of the most popular toys in the world. 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