Gadget Warehouse Time! A Toy Invented 70 Years Ago.
February 18, 2013 1 Comment 
No, I don’t have the original, but I do have a copy. It’s one of the ‘only’ 300 million Slinkys sold in the past 68 to 70 years! (It was invented in 1943, but made it's first department store showing in 1945.) In the year 2000 The Slinky was inducted into the Toy National Hall of Fame. Here’s a bit of background info from their website:
Mechanical engineer Richard James invented the Slinky by accident. In 1943, he was working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea. After accidentally knocking some samples off a shelf, he watched in amazement as they gracefully “walked” down instead of falling. Along with his wife Betty, James developed a plan to turn his invention into the next big novelty toy. Betty combed the dictionary for an appropriate name and came up with “Slinky.” James designed a machine to coil 80-feet of wire into a two-inch spiral. The couple borrowed $500 to manufacture the first Slinkys. Initial sales proved sluggish but soared after Gimbels Department Store in Philadelphia allowed demonstrations for Christmas 1945. The first 400 Slinkys sold within minutes.
Additional info via Wikipedia: In 1998, Betty James sold the company to Poof Products, Inc. Slinky was originally priced at $1, and has remained modestly priced throughout its history as a result of Betty James' concern about the toy's affordability for financially disadvantaged customers. Slinky has seen uses other than as a toy in the playroom: it has appeared in the classroom as a teaching tool, in wartime as a radio antenna, and in physics experiments with NASA. In its first 60 years Slinky has sold 300 million units. They are widely available at toy stores everywhere, online and at amazon.com.
See or hear this episode: www.twit.tv/giz1404
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