Taken for educational purposes from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Slinky_ad_1946.jpg
The Slinky was first conceived of in 1943, by a man named Richard James living in Philadelphia. James, a naval engineer, was designing and testing springs for use in stabilizing delicate machinery on board ships out at sea (Time). While working on this project, James once accidentally knocked one of his prototype springs off of a shelf. The spring somersaulted end over end several times before finally coming to rest on the floor and coiling itself back up neatly. James realized that what his spring had just done was not only entertaining, but also repeatable, durable, and cheap. Seeing the potential, James started experimenting with his design. His wife, Betty, was at first unenthusiastic about the toy but soon changed her mind. She decided to call his steel creation a Slinky. By Christmas 1945, Jones had 400 Slinkies ready to display at the Gimbels Department Store. James managed to sell all 400, at $1 per Slinky, in less than two hours. (MIT)
The Slinky only grew in popularity after that point. By 1995, James Industries (now owned by Betty after being divorced from her late husband) had produced a quarter of a billion Slinkies (MIT). Today, the Slinky may be found as its original form, as the Slinky Dog, as the Slinky Worm, and more.
The Slinky only grew in popularity after that point. By 1995, James Industries (now owned by Betty after being divorced from her late husband) had produced a quarter of a billion Slinkies (MIT). Today, the Slinky may be found as its original form, as the Slinky Dog, as the Slinky Worm, and more.