A spring, a spring, a marvellous thing, Everyone knows it's Slinky...
It's Slinky, it's Slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toy...
It's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun for a girl and a boy!"
Do you remember this advertising jingle for what is quite possibly one of the most legendary toys of all time? The Slinky was born in 1043 when a naval engineer called Richard James was trying to develop a meter designed to monitor horsepower on naval battleships. As he was working with tension springs one of them fell on the ground and Mr James noticed the way it kept on moving after it hit the ground... the rest as they say is history!
James spent the next two years figuring out the best steel gauge and coil to use for a toy. His wife Betty came up with the famous name "Slinky" after discovering in the dictionary that the word "Slinky" is a Swedish word meaning transpiral - sleek or sinous.
Years later Richard James left his wife, family and the Slinky empire but Betty continued with the Slinky, adding further products to the brand and was finally inducted into the "Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2001!
Did you ever own a Slinky?
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