"(It) remains the standard against which all national crazes are measured.". Headricka veteran who spied on Nazi movements during World War IIpaid college kids to toss the disc on campuses. "[My mother] and Spud's wife would demonstrate hula hoops in parks and recreation centers around the country," Chuck says. (They couldnt.) For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. 5 March 1963 The Hula Hoop is patented - PressReader Because of its enduring popularity, the Hula Hoop was inducted into Hula Hoop - History's Best Toys: All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys - TIME U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Canada, Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. I remember being so proud when that toy was banned from my school. Initially, Melin and Knerr marketed them on college campuses by word of mouth. At first, they focused on sporting goods, rather than toys, but they kept an eye out for unusual items like boomerangs and crossbows. The Frisbee and Hula Hoop created fads. Humans have been hula hooping for hundreds of years. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Try again later. But I think this country gave us more than we gave it. Andersons husband consulted Arthur Melin, a business acquaintance, about partnering with Melins company, Wham-O, one of the biggest toy manufacturers at the They had her sign for it first. The bosses explained that they patented the mechanical principle behind it, the ratio of waist to diameter: "Small hoops or big waists just won't work.". Mr. Melin was right, though. RELATED: Sherlock Holmes: 5 Similarities Between The Films Reboots & The BBC Series (& 5 Differences) They may But Wham-O continued to make other novelties, like Silly String and the Slip 'n' Slide. They started making slingshots, just for kicks, out of the ends of orange crates, Chuck recalls. "They really liked enjoying life and enjoying their toys, and they really wanted to share that sense of fun," he says. Wham-O, in fact, hired students to sell Frisbees on campuses until it could get distribution in stores. But neither Arthur Melin nor Richard Knerr can lay any claim to inventing the thing. Save . Arthur Spud Melin, co-founder of Wham-O Inc., which gave the world such leisure icons as the Frisbee, the Hula Hoop and the Superball--along with such duds as Oops, we were unable to send the email. Arthur Melin, the co-founder of Wham-O, which introduced fads like the Hula-Hoop and lasting diversions like the Frisbee, died on Friday at a care center in Costa Mesa, Calif. Richard Knerr, co-founder of the company responsible for turning the Hula Hoop, Frisbee and many other ingenious creations into iconic toys died Monday at age 82. They tried to sell their birds to enthusiasts, but got more interest for the shot, which they named Wham-O, for the sensation felt when it hit the target. Edit Jobs Section. With Dorothy Kilgallen, John Payne, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf. She didn't know what she was going to do with it.. Their research and development team consisted of their kids. COSTA MESA, California, Jun 29, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Arthur "Spud" Melin, co-founder of the toy company that introduced the world to the Frisbee, Hula Hoop and other faddish gems of American pop culture, has died. About 600,000 were made. Wham-O kept an open door to inventors, pro or amateur: 20 nutty ideas arrived daily, including, in the early 1960s, the offer from a chemical engineer of an accidentally compressed plastic, Zectron, which bounced uncontrollably. The elephant was unloaded and the delivery truck left. So they marketed abroad, first in Europe, then everywhere, although Japan banned them as lewd, and the Soviet Union called them "an example of the emptiness of American culture". ''. It is known for creating and marketing many popular toys for nearly 70 years, including the Hula hoop, Frisbee, Slip 'N Slide, Super Ball, Trac-Ball, Silly String, Hacky sack, Wham-O Bird Ornithopter and Boogie Board,[1] many of which have become genericized trademarks. Wham-O began selling the disc they called the "Pluto Platter" two years later before modifying it and renaming it the "Frisbee.". Art (Spud) Melin and Richard (Rich) Knerr had a knack for fun, and an open door for outside inventor ideas. Arthur Spud Melin - Crunchbase Person Profile On this day in 1963, the Hula-Hoop, a hip-swiveling toy that became a huge fad across America when it was first marketed by Wham-O in 1958, is patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin. Mr. Melin (pronounced muh-LIN) once bought a truckload of oysters from Texas in hopes of starting a raw bar in California modeled after those he had seen in New York. By 1994, when Mattel purchased Wham-O, the San Gabriel factory was down to a skeleton crew keeping up production of only a handful of products. For about a year in the 1950s, the company markets their sporting goods under the name WAMO. Wham-O changed the name to Frisbee and began selling the rebranded toy in 1958. Wham-O was resold to Mattel Inc. in 1994 and to a group of investors in 1997. Arthur Melin A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? In 1982, Spud Melin and Knerr sold Wham-O to the Kransco Group for $12 million, but Spud Melin kept up his interest in gadgets - at one point, he patented a two-handed tennis racket with an adjustable handle. Over the years, Wham-O churned out 25 million Hula Hoops. He is survived by his wife and five daughters. He patented a design for a two-handed tennis racket with an adjustable handle.Ten years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. Real devotees were dubbed Frisbyterians.. Frisbee grew so popular that associations and canine variations became commonplace; the Navy experimented on them to see if they could keep flares in the air longer. When the rains came, the eggs hatched. He was 77 and had Alzheimer's disease. The enterprise ended with the oysters being dumped into a nearby bay because they could not get the venture off the ground.Wham-O's first incursion into the mainstream came in 1955, when it bought the idea for a plastic flying disk from a building inspector named Walter Frederick Morrison. The pair, who would remain lifelong pals and business partners, attended the University of As Wham-O changed ownership, its new management adjusted this formula to accommodate the changing toy industry, which had increasingly complex toys and fewer distribution channels. He was 77. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Today, Woodmans net worth is estimated at $800 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, which is actually much lower than his peak valuation of $4.5 billion. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. (It was also 1958, before the advent of more sophisticated distractions.) And in answer to a music and dance fad of the era, it also marketed Chubby Checker Limbo sets. They knew if they spent the money, theyd see a return on their investment, Walsh says. Failed to delete flower. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. The adolescent appetite for dangerous weapons and sporting goods was so large that the two were soon grossing $100,000 in annual revenue. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. He was 82. Try again. A full body orgasm at the L.A. Phil? https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/27070295/arthur-kelso-melin. All Rights Reserved, Hula Hoop promoter Arthur Spud Melin dies. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? I once asked Rich Knerr about stuff like the Mr. Hootie egg rake, Walsh says. In 1958, as Frisbee sales took off, an Australian toy manufacturer visited Wham-O's factory in the Los Angeles suburb of San Gabriel. Within four months, 25 million hoops had been sold, according to Wham-O, and hooping was an integral part of American youth culture. There was a sense they had passed their heyday., Melin and Knerr were also faced with an unfortunate consequence of people trying to have a little too much fun: the Slip 'N Slide, intended for children, proved catastrophic to adults and teens who were too large to use it properly. Anyone can read what you share. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. They thrived in a time kids functioned outside, with hits like the Frisbee prompting people to break a sweat. A giant promotional specimen accidentally dropped from a 23rd-floor hotel room window, rebounded 15 floors and destroyed a parked convertible as it fell again. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Stingley and the company spent two years trying to create a manufacturing process that would result in a stable ball (prototypes were prone to exploding). This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Melin is survived by his wife, Suzy; five daughters; a brother; and 11 grandchildren. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Read more:12 WackyProducts from Wham-O You Have to See to Believe.. Melin, who started toy giant Wham-O in 1948 with his boyhood friend Richard Knerr, died Friday. CB Rank (Person) 1,575,211. ''He said it would be huge. The company's lines are also more complex, and grouped in related categoriesfor example, the Sea-Doo line (about a dozen products), several Slip 'N Slide variations, and a group of "lawn games". While visiting that continent he saw a little fish that buried its eggs in mud during the dry season. They did not know what to make of it until another friend from Australia showed them how to gyrate their hips, thus spinning the hoop. The History of the Frisbee Then, in 1958, Wham-O toy company founders Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin saw the potential in the humble hoop and began to mass-market a 40-in. In 1955 inventor Fred Morrison began marketing a plastic flying disc called the Pluto Platter. Ed Headrick looked over the leftover plastic from the Hula implosion and had an idea. Promoting the creations was a family affair. Melin was right, though. Co-Creator of Frisbee and Hula Hoop Dies at 82 : NPR Arthur Spud MelinAmerican Role Model | Marc Corsini
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