

The toy was packaged in a black-lettered box, and advertising saturated America. Richard James opened shop in Albany, New York, after developing a machine that could produce a Slinky within seconds. In 1946, Slinky was introduced at the American Toy Fair. Slinky was a hit, and the first 400 units were sold within ninety minutes. The Jameses had difficulty selling Slinky to toy stores but, in November 1945, they were granted permission to set up an inclined plane in the toy section of Gimbels department store in Philadelphia to demonstrate the toy. Each was 2 1⁄ 2" tall, and included 98 coils of high-grade blue-black Swedish steel. With a USD $500 loan, the couple formed James Industries (originally James Spring & Wire Company), had 400 Slinky units made by a local machine shop, hand-wrapped each in yellow paper, and priced them at $1 a piece. She dubbed the toy Slinky (meaning "sleek and graceful"), after finding the word in a dictionary, and deciding that the word aptly described the sound of a metal spring expanding and collapsing. Betty was dubious at first, but changed her mind after the toy was fine-tuned and neighborhood children expressed an excited interest in it. James's wife Betty later recalled, "He came home and said, 'I think if I got the right property of steel and the right tension I could make it walk.'" James experimented with different types of steel wire over the next year, and finally found a spring that would walk.
SPRINGY TOY SERIES
James "accidentally" knocked one of the springs from a shelf, and watched as the spring "stepped" in a series of arcs to a stack of books, to a tabletop, and to the floor, where it re-coiled itself and stood upright. In 1943, Richard T James, a naval mechanical engineer stationed at the William Cramp & Sons shipyards in Philadelphia, was developing springs that could support and stabilize sensitive instruments aboard ship in rough seas. In its first 60 years, about 300 million have been sold. In 2003, it was named to the Toy Industry Association's Century of Toys List. It was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York in 2000.
SPRINGY TOY PORTABLE
In addition to its use as a toy, it has been used as a classroom teaching tool as a portable and extendable radio antenna in wartime (particularly the Vietnam War) and in NASA physics experiments, when Astronaut Margaret Rhea Seddon demonstrated its behavior in zero gravity during a telecast from the Discovery Space Shuttle in 1985.

It has, however, remained modestly priced throughout its history as a result of Betty James' concern about the toy's affordability for less affluent customers. The Slinky was originally priced at $1, but many paid much more due to price increases of spring steel in Pennsylvania. In 1998 she sold the company to Poof Products, Inc. In 1960, James's wife Betty James became president of James Industries, and, in 1964, moved it back to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. James and his wife Betty formed James Industries in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania to manufacture Slinky and several related toys such as the Slinky Dog and Suzie, the Slinky Worm.

The toy was a hit, selling its entire inventory of 400 units in 90 minutes. James in 1943 and demonstrated at Gimbels department store in Philadelphia in November 1945. We're always happy to provide the assistance you require.The Slinky was invented and developed by American naval engineer Richard T.
SPRINGY TOY FREE
Take a look around the site to find the perfect model for your playground!įeel free to reach out to us if you do happen to have questions or concerns regarding product installation or anything else.

These playground rockers are made of tough poly sheet laminate and come with hardware and handy instructions for set-up. If you're looking for another kind of fun coil spring playground toys, we also offer models such as fire trucks and shuttles. These playground spring toys will safely support children ages 12 and under who weigh no more than 125 pounds. All our retro-looking animal toys contain an aluminum body for support and will always add a classic touch to any playground. We carry several different playground spring toys in the form of mustangs, zebras, and even frogs. Playground spring rider toys can serve as the ultimate source of fun and entertainment for young children in a playground setting. Spring Riders Playground Spring Rider Toys
