Episode description

Some of the best things in life were never meant to be. Just think of your favourite food, breed of dog or childhood toy - some of these were the result of accidents and batshit crazy experiments. 

The good old fashioned slinky was accidental, superficially bland and, yes, a little bit dangerous.

Let’s go back to one particularly scintillating afternoon in the office of Richard James, a mechanical engineer working on his device to monitor horsepower. Boring, right? Until he knocked over a spring! Fascinated by what happened next - a perfect walking motion down a stack of books - Richard James knew he was onto something. 

Eureka! The OG slinky.  

Now, a lot of work goes into turning an engineer’s spring into a beloved toy. The metal gauge, the length - every aspect of this toy was carefully considered in the precise manner that only an engineer’s mind could perform. And as for the name, well that took particular dedication from Richard’s wife, Betty. She nailed it.

But would anyone be interested in this toy? Of course, kids are the harshest toy critics, so clever Richard enlisted help from the local neighbourhood kids for one vital step in Slinky success - product testing.

Richard’s next task was to get the toy stores to stock his new, strangely simple toy. After much haranguing, Richard got the Slinky into just one store in Philadelphia and came up with a neat in-store marketing schtick.

And then he sold a tonne of Slinkies and became a millionaire?

Well, not quite. 

Richard and Betty didn’t quite walk away with the spring in their step you’d imagine. Evangelical Christian sects and slumping sales were just some of the challenges they faced.

As for the sales, well that didn’t quite go how we’d all expect, given that the Slinky is still around today. 

Like all toys, the simple Slinky has its fair share of dangers. Can toys be murderous?

And will ChatGPT reveal any un-wholesome truths about the Slinky?

SOURCES:

• Art of Play: The History of the Slinky
• Encyclopedia.com: James, Betty & James, Richard
• Wikipedia: Richard T. James, Betty James, Slinky
• Today I Found Out: THE SLINKY WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO BE USED AS A TENSION SPRING IN A BATTLESHIP ENGINE HORSEPOWER METER
• Smithsonian Magazine: The Accidental Invention of the Slinky
• New York Times: Betty James, Who Named the Slinky Toy, Is Dead at 90
• ABC Eye Witness News: Woman uses Slinky to keep squirrels from bird feeder
• CBS News: Slinky Trivia
• The Straight Dope: Did the inventor of the Slinky join a cult in Bolivia?
• LinkedIn: The Somewhat Shocking Story of the Slinky by Richard Sharp
• The Atlantic: The Story of the Slinky. How one klutzy move launched a toy empire
• List25.com: 25 Most Dangerous Kids’ Toys Ever Made

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