How old is the Slinky, & who & where was it made?

Answer 1

The Slinky (or Lazy Spring) toy entered the marketplace in the 1940s.

It was developed and named by Richard and Betty James.

It went into commercial production as a toy in 1948 in Philadelphia.

(Side Note: Remember folks, if you're going to cut & paste directly from another website, you should at least give them credit for your "answer.")

Answer 2

In 1943, Richard James invented one of the greatest toys ever. James, a naval engineer, was conducting an experiment with tension springs. During the experiment, one of the springs fell to the floor and began to "walk." James took the spring home to his wife, Betty, and asked her if she thought it was something they could pursue. Betty had a vision for a toy and scoured the dictionary, looking for an appropriate name. She came across the word "slinky," a Swedish word meaning stealthy, sleek and sinuous. Toy history was made.
The Slinky® debuted at Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1945. Both Betty and Richard were skeptical about how the Slinky® would sell. All their doubts were put to rest when all 400 Slinkys® for sale were purchased in 90 minutes. Since then, over three hundred million Slinkys® have been sold worldwide.

Interesting question!

Answer 3

I don't know how old it is. It was around when I was a kid (later 50's). I do know that my parents never bought one. Why you may ask? Because my father worked in a piston ring factory where they made piston rings for cars, trucks,lawnmowers, and so on. Well it seems that a slinky is just piston rings before the are cut into individual rings. I had slinkies that where 8 inches across and sounded like a giant walking down the stairs. I had some that where just an inch wide. They were great fun and even when I tangled them my dad would bring more home. Great fun.

Answer 4

In the 1940s, Richard James, a US $50-a-week marine engineer stationed at the Cramp shipyards in Philadelphia, observed a torsion spring fall off a table and roll around on the deck (a torsion spring has no compression or tension). He told his wife: "I think there could be a toy in this." With a US$500 loan, the couple ran tests, experimented with materials, and produced four hundred units of the toy. Betty James did some dictionary searching and came up with the name "Slinky".

In November 1945, Richard and Betty James, through an arrangement with Gimbels in Philadelphia, were granted permission to set up an inclined plane in the toy department and demonstrate the spring's battery-less "walking" abilities. The James' business grew rapidly. In 1948 they built a factory for twenty employees in suburban Philadelphia, and a decade later, headquarters were set up in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, where the factory remained for thirty years. As the company expanded, so did the product line. New Slinky toys, including Slinky Jr. and the Slinky Dog, were developed while non-coiled toys such as building kits were added to the inventory. However, Slinky has remained the core product of James Industries.

Answer 5

don't know how old the slinky is, but I wish I made it, gosh I would be quite rich by now,

Answer 6

the ancient greeks invented it in 4000 BC