The Accidental History Of The Slinky Will Make You Love It Even More

It doesn’t matter how old you are, you probably have childhood memories of watching the slinky work its way down the stairs. You may even remember some of the knockoffs of the slinky, such as the slinky dog!

In either case, it was a part of our childhood but it’s also a piece of history that we may not know much about.

You would have to go back to 1943 to see when the toy began to gain in popularity. It was invented by a mechanical engineer named Richard T James, but he wasn’t interested in designing a toy that would be loved by millions. He was trying to stabilize instruments on ships using springs when things were shipped overseas.

When James was working on the springs, he accidentally knocked one off the shelf and then watched it as it traveled from one level to another as it worked its way toward the floor. He was amazed at what he was able to do, even if it was by accident.

That is when James got busy working on the invention. His wife also got involved, and she was the one that came up with the name “Slinky.” It wasn’t a made-up name, it was actually a word in the dictionary that means graceful.

It wasn’t long before the slinky was a big hit and it hasn’t slowed down since.

At first, James gave them out to neighborhood children, but eventually, the toy was displayed in a store in Philadelphia, and 400 units were sold within a couple of hours.

From that point, it has become a beloved part of our history and even made its way into the Toy Hall of Fame. Even NASA uses it in certain experiments in zero gravity.

So, the memories you have of playing with and watching the Slinky will not disappear, but knowing more about its history makes it all that much sweeter.