1945 - Slinky Toy Hits Shelves

Slinky Toy Hits Shelves (1945): In 1943, the idea for the Slinky toy originated when engineer Richard James dropped a tension spring on the ground and saw how it moved. Thinking he might be on to something a bit more fun and universal than a tension spring, he took the spring home to his wife, Betty, and the two of them tried to come up with a name for this potential toy. After searching and searching, Betty found the word "slinky" in the dictionary which meant sinuous and stealthy. The first Slinky toys were sold in 1945 at Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And since then, stairs have never been left alone.