What's New

Everyone loves a slinky!

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 and, after more than 70 years, over 250 million have been sold.

The Slinkys shown here, full size and the Slinky Jr., are from the collection of the Marathon County Historical Society.  

A note printed on the Slinky Jr. box cautions users to not use it in a moving vehicle, not throw it out a window and to keep it away from the face and eyes.

What walks down stairs alone or in pairs
and makes a slinkety sound?
A spring a spring, a marvelous thing.
Everyone knows it's Slinky!

Compiled by Kathy Volkmann, Curator of Artifacts

Information source:  National Toy Hall of Fame