| With the popularity of Internet | | | | Around 1960, Richard James suffered what |
| shopping, classic toys that were hard to | | | | some called a mid-life crisis and left |
| find, have now started to find a whole | | | | his wife, their six children and joined |
| new audience. These classics, which sold | | | | a Bolivian religious cult. He also |
| very well after they were introduced, | | | | deserted the Slinky toy he worked so |
| never seem to go out of style and can | | | | hard to produce and left the company in |
| still bring a smile to any child?s face. | | | | debt and ruin. Betty James took over as |
| Let?s step into the past and take a look | | | | CEO of James Industries and introduced |
| into the history of one of these classic | | | | other toys for the ?Slinky line-up? |
| toys. | | | | including: Slinky pets, crazy eyes |
| In 1943, a Naval engineer accidentally | | | | Slinky (glasses with Slinky-extended |
| knocked some springs off of a shelf | | | | fake eyeballs), neon Slinky, and also |
| while he was working on a meter designed | | | | replaced the original black-blue Swedish |
| to monitor horsepower on battleships. He | | | | steel with American steel. Additionally |
| marveled at the way they ?walked? | | | | she moved the company headquarters from |
| instead of falling and the odd movement | | | | Philadelphia to Hollidaysburg, |
| of these springs gave Richard James an | | | | Pennsylvania and began an aggressive |
| idea and an instant toy was born. That | | | | advertising campaign, complete with the |
| toy: The Slinky. | | | | now famous Slinky jingle: |
| Richard James then spent the next two | | | | ?What walks down stairs, alone in pairs, |
| years testing and refining the best | | | | And makes a Slinkity sound? |
| steel gauge and coil to utilize for his | | | | A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, |
| new toy. His wife, Betty appropriately | | | | Everyone knows it?s Slinky? |
| found the perfect name for this new toy- | | | | It?s Slinky, it?s Slinky, for fun it?s a |
| a Slinky; which is the Swedish word | | | | wonderful toy |
| meaning traespiral or sleek. | | | | It?s Slinky, it?s Slinky, it?s fun for a |
| The couple borrowed five hundred dollars | | | | girl or a boy? |
| and James designed a machine to coil | | | | However, the Slinky is not just an |
| eighty feet of wire into a two-inch | | | | entertaining toy for children. It is |
| spiral and manufacture their new toy. | | | | used in schools in physics classes to |
| Sales were slow at first, but soared | | | | demonstrate wave properties, forces, and |
| after the Slinky was demonstrated at | | | | energy states. The Slinky still |
| Gimbel?s Department Store in | | | | continues to sell (250 million have been |
| Philadelphia for the Christmas season in | | | | sold to date) and are still manufactured |
| 1945. The first 400 sold within the | | | | in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania using the |
| ninety-minute demonstration and a new | | | | original equipment designed by Richard |
| fad had begun. | | | | James. |