WEBVTT 00:00:02.750 --> 00:00:04.250 They walk downstairs. 00:00:05.500 --> 00:00:06.420 - Slimy? 00:00:07.670 --> 00:00:08.670 No, that's not it. 00:00:08.830 --> 00:00:10.910 They bounce, they stretch, 00:00:11.010 --> 00:00:11.960 and they spin. 00:00:13.590 --> 00:00:15.250 A flying disc. 00:00:15.340 --> 00:00:17.510 A walking metal coil. 00:00:17.670 --> 00:00:18.760 - Stealthy? 00:00:18.850 --> 00:00:20.420 - No. 00:00:20.520 --> 00:00:22.260 But where did they come from? 00:00:23.070 --> 00:00:25.150 - It's Slinky. 00:00:27.230 --> 00:00:28.660 The untold stories 00:00:28.740 --> 00:00:32.570 behind America's most iconic toy innovations. 00:00:32.660 --> 00:00:35.580 - Kids want real toys. 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:37.750 - They must have thought he was crazy. 00:00:37.830 --> 00:00:39.420 Crazy! 00:00:39.580 --> 00:00:41.490 The visionary ideas. 00:00:41.590 --> 00:00:44.840 - Some of the best toys break some sort of rule. 00:00:44.920 --> 00:00:48.250 - It became such a craze that it caught the attention 00:00:48.340 --> 00:00:49.760 of president Johnson. 00:00:50.920 --> 00:00:52.510 The happy accidents. 00:00:52.590 --> 00:00:54.520 - If you uncoil the slinky, 00:00:54.680 --> 00:00:57.680 suddenly it can be used as a radio antenna. 00:00:57.770 --> 00:00:59.760 And the spectacular fails. 00:00:59.850 --> 00:01:00.980 - They're suing us. 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:03.530 - He believed enough in it, 00:01:03.610 --> 00:01:05.530 even though he was severely in debt. 00:01:07.100 --> 00:01:08.020 - It's just a true Testament 00:01:08.110 --> 00:01:09.110 to the kind of woman that she was, 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:11.160 fearless, determined. 00:01:15.010 --> 00:01:16.360 - We're gonna have so much fun. 00:01:36.300 --> 00:01:38.050 In the spring of 1943, 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:40.060 the United States is fighting a world war 00:01:40.150 --> 00:01:41.690 in Europe and the Pacific. 00:01:43.140 --> 00:01:44.150 - Most people were confident 00:01:44.310 --> 00:01:46.320 that the United States entry into the war 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:49.650 in 1941, 1942 was tipping the balance. 00:01:49.730 --> 00:01:52.580 But by 1943, the war seems to be turning in their favor, 00:01:52.740 --> 00:01:55.070 but it's very much up in the air. 00:01:55.160 --> 00:01:57.410 It was not a sure thing by any stretch. 00:01:58.910 --> 00:02:00.080 Critically important 00:02:00.170 --> 00:02:02.340 is maintaining control of the sea, 00:02:02.620 --> 00:02:04.700 where ships very vital resources 00:02:04.860 --> 00:02:08.040 to the 16 million men and women serving in the armed forces. 00:02:09.290 --> 00:02:11.880 Back at home, millions, more work overtime 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:13.420 in support of the war effort. 00:02:20.970 --> 00:02:24.310 Like one mechanical engineer at a shipyard in Philadelphia, 00:02:24.390 --> 00:02:26.890 who's doing his part to try solving a problem 00:02:27.050 --> 00:02:29.060 that plagues US warships. 00:02:30.060 --> 00:02:32.270 His name is Richard James. 00:02:33.990 --> 00:02:36.480 - He is charged with trying to come up with a way 00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:39.730 to keep sensitive instruments safe on ships 00:02:39.820 --> 00:02:40.990 while they're out at sea. 00:02:41.150 --> 00:02:42.160 You know, what's going to keep them 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:44.820 from falling and breaking. 00:02:44.910 --> 00:02:47.070 - And he thought that suspending that equipment 00:02:47.160 --> 00:02:49.000 by torsion Springs, 00:02:49.160 --> 00:02:51.240 which are Springs with no tension on them, 00:02:51.330 --> 00:02:54.330 he might be able to keep it functioning properly. 00:02:54.420 --> 00:02:57.750 - Richard James was full of ingenuity. 00:02:57.840 --> 00:03:02.510 He was a guy who could not repress his creative endeavors. 00:03:03.760 --> 00:03:06.930 He started as a kid scavenging parts 00:03:07.020 --> 00:03:08.930 and making his own toys. 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:11.690 So he had an entrepreneurial bent as well. 00:03:32.130 --> 00:03:34.380 - He accidentally knocks over one of the Springs 00:03:35.990 --> 00:03:39.250 and it just happened to kind of bounce 00:03:39.410 --> 00:03:41.330 and it appeared almost like it was walking. 00:03:48.420 --> 00:03:50.330 The runaway spring will one day become 00:03:50.430 --> 00:03:51.930 an iconic American toy 00:03:54.170 --> 00:03:56.720 selling more than 300 million worldwide. 00:04:03.770 --> 00:04:05.940 But on this day in 1943, 00:04:06.030 --> 00:04:08.450 it's up to James to figure out what to do with it. 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:13.860 - You could practically see the light bulb 00:04:13.940 --> 00:04:15.870 go on over his head. 00:04:16.030 --> 00:04:17.860 And he said to his wife, Betty, 00:04:17.960 --> 00:04:19.870 I think we've got a toy here. 00:04:21.280 --> 00:04:24.120 Betty by now has been through loads of ideas 00:04:24.200 --> 00:04:26.120 that Richard churned out. 00:04:26.210 --> 00:04:30.550 Undoubtedly, she thought, oh no, here we go again. 00:04:30.710 --> 00:04:33.470 - Apparently he brought home a lot of strange ideas 00:04:33.630 --> 00:04:34.430 to his wife. 00:04:36.640 --> 00:04:37.630 - I'm telling you Betty, 00:04:37.730 --> 00:04:40.130 it's like some kind of magic trick. 00:04:40.230 --> 00:04:43.310 It doesn't work every time, but when it does. 00:04:48.490 --> 00:04:50.490 - There's no gain to it. 00:04:50.650 --> 00:04:53.810 Why would children want to play with such a simple thing? 00:04:53.910 --> 00:04:56.820 - Because where you see coiled wire, 00:04:56.910 --> 00:05:00.000 they'll see something that acts like it's alive 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:01.920 and moves by itself. 00:05:04.670 --> 00:05:07.080 - He's got that inventor's mind. 00:05:07.170 --> 00:05:08.580 He saw something that 00:05:08.670 --> 00:05:11.760 he couldn't convince other people to see yet. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:15.180 It was a huge uphill battle for him. 00:05:15.340 --> 00:05:17.170 - During world war II a lot of toys 00:05:17.260 --> 00:05:19.260 were made of card or paper 00:05:19.350 --> 00:05:23.090 because essential materials like zinc, steel, rayon, 00:05:23.190 --> 00:05:24.690 were needed for the war efforts. 00:05:26.020 --> 00:05:28.020 The Navy rejects James's idea 00:05:28.110 --> 00:05:30.990 to use coiled springs to stabilize ship equipment. 00:05:34.780 --> 00:05:37.330 So he throws himself into his long shot creation 00:05:38.200 --> 00:05:39.440 and for two years, 00:05:39.530 --> 00:05:42.040 experiments with different types of steel wire. 00:05:44.120 --> 00:05:47.620 - There are so many variables to perfect 00:05:47.700 --> 00:05:50.050 when you're making a spring device. 00:05:50.130 --> 00:05:52.120 There's tension, 00:05:52.220 --> 00:05:56.390 there's the kind of kinetic energy that you want to release. 00:05:56.550 --> 00:05:59.470 Lots of physics, lots of mechanics. 00:05:59.630 --> 00:06:03.300 He tested and tried and prototyped, 00:06:03.390 --> 00:06:08.060 eventually coming up with a Swedish blue industrial steel 00:06:09.640 --> 00:06:14.400 coiled spring with just exactly 98 coils. 00:06:15.810 --> 00:06:17.240 It's stacks two and a half inches tall. 00:06:20.080 --> 00:06:21.910 - I've got it, come see. 00:06:37.290 --> 00:06:39.290 With Betty finally on board, 00:06:39.580 --> 00:06:41.500 she makes a pivotal contribution. 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:46.370 - Stealthy? 00:06:48.130 --> 00:06:50.060 - No, no that's not it. 00:06:56.690 --> 00:06:58.820 It's slinky. 00:07:01.290 --> 00:07:01.970 - Slinky. 00:07:04.460 --> 00:07:05.960 Next, Richard and Betty 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:08.460 take the biggest gamble of their lives. 00:07:08.550 --> 00:07:11.620 - They decided to borrow $500 00:07:11.710 --> 00:07:15.790 and make 400 Slinky's by hiring an outside firm 00:07:15.890 --> 00:07:18.050 to make them in a model shop. 00:07:18.210 --> 00:07:21.060 - It's only the start of the challenge though. 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:24.890 And then to really start selling it to retailers, 00:07:24.980 --> 00:07:27.970 because this looks like no other toy 00:07:28.070 --> 00:07:29.190 out there on the market. 00:07:37.820 --> 00:07:39.410 170 Miles away, 00:07:39.570 --> 00:07:42.160 at the General Electric labs in Connecticut, 00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:44.830 a chemical engineer works on another problem 00:07:44.990 --> 00:07:46.540 plaguing the US war effort. 00:07:51.090 --> 00:07:53.090 - We don't think of rubber when we think of waging war, 00:07:53.170 --> 00:07:54.510 but it's pretty essential. 00:07:54.590 --> 00:07:56.830 It's a component in so many pieces 00:07:56.930 --> 00:07:59.170 of this vast military arsenal. 00:07:59.260 --> 00:08:00.260 - If we don't get rubber 00:08:00.350 --> 00:08:02.760 we'll have to stop making good tanks. 00:08:02.850 --> 00:08:04.180 We also need rubber tires 00:08:04.270 --> 00:08:05.940 for Jeeps and planes. 00:08:07.510 --> 00:08:08.860 Naturally occurring rubber 00:08:08.940 --> 00:08:12.900 is harvested from trees no longer accessible to the US. 00:08:14.600 --> 00:08:17.530 - Japan had invaded a lot of the rubber producing countries, 00:08:17.690 --> 00:08:19.370 sort of cut off our supply. 00:08:19.520 --> 00:08:20.520 - Because of the war effort, 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:22.290 it becomes paramount to create 00:08:22.370 --> 00:08:24.450 a synthetic alternative to rubber. 00:08:25.950 --> 00:08:27.120 Chemical engineer James Wright 00:08:27.280 --> 00:08:29.380 makes it his mission to come up with one. 00:08:30.700 --> 00:08:33.290 - James Wright had been born in Scotland 00:08:33.380 --> 00:08:36.050 and he was working for General Electric 00:08:36.130 --> 00:08:38.380 on various different challenges. 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:44.600 He mixes different chemicals with silicone oil 00:08:46.810 --> 00:08:49.650 and when he adds boric acid, it solidifies. 00:08:51.480 --> 00:08:53.940 But instead of forming a hard rubber like substance, 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:01.980 the compound remains soft, sticky, 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:04.830 unlike anything Wright has ever seen. 00:09:09.740 --> 00:09:14.410 - A ball of this putty bounced if you threw it on the floor, 00:09:14.510 --> 00:09:17.580 would settle into a puddle if left alone. 00:09:17.680 --> 00:09:22.250 - You can stretch it to great lengths without it snapping. 00:09:22.350 --> 00:09:26.180 - James Wright kept showing this new goo to his coworkers, 00:09:26.340 --> 00:09:29.100 but no one could find an application for it. 00:09:29.260 --> 00:09:30.190 - They actually sent it out 00:09:30.270 --> 00:09:31.600 to a bunch of different scientists 00:09:31.690 --> 00:09:33.850 so maybe that they could figure out a way to use it. 00:09:33.940 --> 00:09:35.430 After a while he couldn't figure out 00:09:35.520 --> 00:09:37.770 how to really use what he created 00:09:37.860 --> 00:09:39.360 and he gave up on it. 00:09:43.700 --> 00:09:46.190 Wright has no idea this bizarre substance 00:09:46.280 --> 00:09:49.290 will help usher in a completely new market for toys, 00:09:50.870 --> 00:09:53.710 sell over 350 million pieces, 00:09:55.120 --> 00:09:57.460 and make nearly half a billion dollars 00:09:59.620 --> 00:10:02.010 for someone else. 00:10:07.800 --> 00:10:10.890 September 2nd, 1945 and Americas joy 00:10:10.980 --> 00:10:13.230 bubbled over into unrestrained jubilation. 00:10:14.570 --> 00:10:16.400 - The period after the second world war 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:20.150 is a moment of tremendous economic opportunity. 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:22.570 And as American soldiers return home, 00:10:22.730 --> 00:10:24.910 they're looking for a return to normality, 00:10:24.990 --> 00:10:28.490 to enjoy the prosperity that comes from the end of the war. 00:10:28.650 --> 00:10:31.660 And so what you see are Americans seeking that prosperity 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:33.420 in all kinds of areas. 00:10:35.160 --> 00:10:37.000 Including one former Naval engineer, 00:10:37.090 --> 00:10:40.260 who's happy to leave the war behind to chase his new dream. 00:10:46.170 --> 00:10:50.430 Richard James uses the rest of his savings, and a $500 loan, 00:10:50.590 --> 00:10:54.010 to start the James spring and wire company. 00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:58.270 Betting everything on 400 of his one and only product, 00:10:58.350 --> 00:10:59.110 The Slinky. 00:11:07.620 --> 00:11:10.450 Now, he must convince local toy stores to sell it. 00:11:13.030 --> 00:11:15.370 - I know, you're thinking, 00:11:15.450 --> 00:11:17.790 that looks like just an ordinary spring. 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:22.290 - It is just an ordinary spring. 00:11:22.370 --> 00:11:24.090 - Well, that is where you're wrong. 00:11:26.550 --> 00:11:29.640 I just need to get our plank from my car and I can show you. 00:11:29.720 --> 00:11:31.300 Just one moment, okay? 00:11:31.380 --> 00:11:35.390 - Look, kids want real toys. 00:11:35.480 --> 00:11:36.600 - Okay, here look. 00:11:41.990 --> 00:11:43.650 - Not interested. 00:11:47.990 --> 00:11:50.400 - I can't even imagine 00:11:50.490 --> 00:11:55.160 what any toy store owner or buyer would have thought 00:11:56.910 --> 00:12:01.000 when Richard James walked in trying to sell a spring. 00:12:03.420 --> 00:12:05.340 By November, 1945, 00:12:05.430 --> 00:12:08.590 Richard James is running out of time. 00:12:08.670 --> 00:12:12.930 - The big sales time for toys is at the holidays, 00:12:13.020 --> 00:12:16.340 if you can't sell your toy during the Christmas season, 00:12:16.430 --> 00:12:18.850 you are basically washed up. 00:12:18.940 --> 00:12:20.520 This was his make or break moment. 00:12:25.610 --> 00:12:27.100 He talks Gimbals, 00:12:27.190 --> 00:12:29.690 one of the most popular department stores in Philadelphia, 00:12:29.770 --> 00:12:31.530 into displaying his new toy. 00:12:36.280 --> 00:12:38.040 - If Gimbals didn't sell, 00:12:38.200 --> 00:12:40.700 if the Slinky's didn't fly off the shelves, 00:12:40.790 --> 00:12:42.550 he was at the end of the line. 00:12:44.880 --> 00:12:48.220 - But as Christmas nears, not a single Slinky is sold. 00:12:53.560 --> 00:12:54.890 - You've gotta eat something. 00:13:05.140 --> 00:13:06.740 Where are you going? 00:13:09.400 --> 00:13:10.240 Where are you going? 00:13:11.330 --> 00:13:12.200 - Gimbals. 00:13:24.920 --> 00:13:27.590 - Richard James wasn't just an inventor. 00:13:27.670 --> 00:13:28.670 - Come on over, folks, 00:13:28.760 --> 00:13:30.890 and see what the amazing Slinky can do. 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:36.350 - He was a showman and he was going to show the world 00:13:36.430 --> 00:13:38.100 that Slinky was a thing. 00:13:41.350 --> 00:13:44.010 - Mam, would you like to see what the amazing Slinky can do? 00:13:44.110 --> 00:13:44.730 Let me show you. 00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:49.110 All you do is tip it like this. 00:13:56.860 --> 00:13:58.450 In less than two hours 00:13:58.540 --> 00:14:02.120 James sells all 400 Slinky's, 00:14:03.880 --> 00:14:05.290 but he doesn't make a cent. 00:14:08.370 --> 00:14:11.460 - He had a problem because the Slinky's that he created 00:14:11.550 --> 00:14:13.540 were only a dollar at retail. 00:14:13.630 --> 00:14:16.050 So there wasn't a lot of margin in there. 00:14:16.140 --> 00:14:18.310 So Richard James needs a new plan 00:14:18.390 --> 00:14:21.140 or his new creation is worthless. 00:14:27.480 --> 00:14:30.150 By 1947, it's been four years 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:32.660 since General Electric engineer, James Wright, 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:35.660 created his strange putty substance. 00:14:35.740 --> 00:14:38.080 While GE did patent the invention, 00:14:38.160 --> 00:14:40.080 they've done nothing with it. 00:14:40.160 --> 00:14:41.740 - At the end of four years of research, 00:14:41.830 --> 00:14:44.420 it came down that there was no practical use 00:14:44.500 --> 00:14:45.670 for this bouncing putty. 00:14:48.010 --> 00:14:49.410 But one evening, 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:52.580 the substance makes the rounds at a GE cocktail party 00:14:52.670 --> 00:14:55.010 and an out of work copywriter takes an interest. 00:14:57.600 --> 00:15:00.770 - Peter Hodgson was an ad writer, 00:15:00.850 --> 00:15:03.430 but he was kind of between jobs, 00:15:03.520 --> 00:15:06.690 he was in debt, he was looking for his next gig. 00:15:07.930 --> 00:15:09.110 - So Peter's at this party. 00:15:09.190 --> 00:15:11.110 He so intrigued and fascinated 00:15:11.190 --> 00:15:13.770 watching everyone play with this putty. 00:15:13.860 --> 00:15:16.870 - Look, he's been playing with this stuff for 15 minutes. 00:15:19.190 --> 00:15:21.790 Somebody's going to get rich off this stuff, 00:15:21.870 --> 00:15:23.210 I say it might as well be us. 00:15:25.870 --> 00:15:28.130 - GE agrees to sell the rights to the putty, 00:15:28.290 --> 00:15:32.460 to Hodgson for just $147. 00:15:32.540 --> 00:15:35.970 - Ruth Fallgater owned a shop called The Block Shop 00:15:36.130 --> 00:15:39.140 in New Haven, Connecticut and she did a yearly catalog. 00:15:39.300 --> 00:15:43.140 And in 1949, her and Peter worked together on the copy, 00:15:43.230 --> 00:15:45.470 which featured bouncing putty, 00:15:45.550 --> 00:15:47.550 but it was marketed more toward adults. 00:15:47.650 --> 00:15:50.060 It was in a clear plastic case 00:15:50.140 --> 00:15:53.810 and it was on a page alongside a spaghetti maker. 00:15:53.900 --> 00:15:55.530 Sales are abysmal. 00:15:56.820 --> 00:15:58.070 - Ruth said, you can take it from here 00:15:58.160 --> 00:15:59.990 because it's not selling well enough. 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:02.160 And that's when Peter Hodgson said, okay, 00:16:02.250 --> 00:16:03.580 I'm on my own with this. 00:16:05.250 --> 00:16:07.040 As one partnership dissolves, 00:16:10.910 --> 00:16:12.420 another one starts. 00:16:15.010 --> 00:16:17.090 Across the country, childhood friends, 00:16:17.250 --> 00:16:19.420 Rich Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin 00:16:19.510 --> 00:16:20.930 are looking to find their way. 00:16:22.260 --> 00:16:24.090 - They had a perfect Southern California 00:16:24.180 --> 00:16:26.270 sort of vibe around them. 00:16:26.350 --> 00:16:27.600 The kind of attitude that, 00:16:27.690 --> 00:16:28.930 we don't know what we're going to do 00:16:29.010 --> 00:16:32.180 with our college degrees but whatever we choose, 00:16:32.270 --> 00:16:34.110 we're going to have fun doing it. 00:16:40.190 --> 00:16:42.690 The enterprising duo dream of a business, 00:16:42.780 --> 00:16:45.290 selling and training falcons for hunting. 00:16:47.290 --> 00:16:49.290 - And the way they were going to train the falcons is, 00:16:49.450 --> 00:16:52.040 they were going to shoot meatballs in the air 00:16:52.130 --> 00:16:53.960 and watch the falcons chase after them. 00:17:00.710 --> 00:17:04.460 - But regular slingshots aren't durable or powerful enough, 00:17:04.560 --> 00:17:06.480 so they build their own version. 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:13.980 - We're gonna have so much fun. 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:18.730 - They were made from Southern Ash 00:17:18.820 --> 00:17:21.660 and they had strips of rubber from south America 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:24.790 and then they hand tied leather as the pouch. 00:17:26.330 --> 00:17:28.250 With new and improved slingshots, 00:17:28.330 --> 00:17:30.070 Rich and Spud are ready to get 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:32.500 their Falcon training business off the ground. 00:17:36.420 --> 00:17:37.260 - Morning. 00:17:37.340 --> 00:17:39.590 - Hi, what can we do for you? 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:43.090 - I'm shopping for a Falcon, but what's that thing. 00:17:43.170 --> 00:17:45.260 - It's how we teach the birds to dive for prey, 00:17:45.350 --> 00:17:46.760 and meatballs. 00:17:46.840 --> 00:17:48.020 - Can I try? 00:17:49.850 --> 00:17:50.810 - Sure. 00:17:52.360 --> 00:17:55.350 - It turns out their homemade slingshots were so durable, 00:17:55.430 --> 00:17:57.280 so good, and so accurate, 00:17:57.360 --> 00:17:58.530 that people were more interested 00:17:58.610 --> 00:18:01.030 in the slingshots themselves, than the birds. 00:18:13.130 --> 00:18:14.950 For a $7 down payment 00:18:15.050 --> 00:18:18.040 they buy a bandsaw and start making slingshots 00:18:18.120 --> 00:18:20.630 in the Knerr family garage. 00:18:20.790 --> 00:18:23.040 - So here these guys are, they're taking these slingshots 00:18:23.140 --> 00:18:24.720 and hitting targets with them. 00:18:24.800 --> 00:18:27.390 And they sort of took that like comic book vibe 00:18:27.470 --> 00:18:30.310 and they're like, wham, the targets hit wham. 00:18:30.890 --> 00:18:33.690 Oh! 00:18:34.980 --> 00:18:36.480 They call their Slingshot, 00:18:36.570 --> 00:18:37.900 the Wham-O Sportsman. 00:18:40.320 --> 00:18:44.370 And in 1949, the Wham-O company is born. 00:18:48.290 --> 00:18:49.710 One day, they will sell many 00:18:49.870 --> 00:18:52.510 of the most recognizable toys of all time 00:18:52.620 --> 00:18:55.450 and their iconic creations will be worth billions. 00:18:59.560 --> 00:19:00.460 But for now 00:19:02.100 --> 00:19:06.700 - That Slingshot led to things like blow guns and boomerangs 00:19:07.690 --> 00:19:09.870 and fencing swords. 00:19:11.120 --> 00:19:13.370 It was a little bit all over the map 00:19:13.460 --> 00:19:17.280 and it was also a pretty small demographic 00:19:17.370 --> 00:19:19.170 that would want their products. 00:19:23.380 --> 00:19:26.380 Despite taking in $100,000 a year, 00:19:26.460 --> 00:19:28.680 Wham-O's founders reach a crossroads, 00:19:30.890 --> 00:19:34.230 continue selling to a niche market or aim higher. 00:19:35.730 --> 00:19:37.140 - They were never going to break through 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:40.140 without thinking outside the box. 00:19:40.220 --> 00:19:44.310 Something that would reach the consumers in a fresh way. 00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:46.320 With the baby boom in full swing, 00:19:46.410 --> 00:19:49.410 the United States is primed for a toy revolution. 00:19:52.070 --> 00:19:54.490 If the creative minds behind the Slingshot, 00:19:54.570 --> 00:19:58.080 Slinky, and Bouncing Putty want to be part of it, 00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:00.420 they must risk everything to capitalize 00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:02.920 or lose it all. 00:20:10.510 --> 00:20:12.170 In April, 1950, 00:20:12.260 --> 00:20:15.680 entrepreneur Peter Hodgson is $12,000 in debt 00:20:15.770 --> 00:20:17.770 on his Bouncing Putty. 00:20:17.850 --> 00:20:20.260 He's been marketing it to adults, 00:20:20.350 --> 00:20:23.270 but now he envisions a new approach. 00:20:26.610 --> 00:20:28.940 He realizes Easter's around the corner, 00:20:29.030 --> 00:20:30.620 and he thinks about an egg. 00:20:32.200 --> 00:20:34.110 Why don't we take that substance, 00:20:34.200 --> 00:20:36.110 and put it in an egg shape, 00:20:36.210 --> 00:20:39.460 and we'll sell it as a Easter toy. 00:20:41.450 --> 00:20:42.790 And the former ad executive 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:44.960 introduces another new idea. 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:47.370 Bouncing Putty 00:20:47.460 --> 00:20:48.630 was the original name, 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:51.300 but it really deserved something better. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:56.560 And one of Peter Hodgson's ingenious moments 00:20:56.640 --> 00:20:58.470 was to rebrand it. 00:21:04.570 --> 00:21:06.560 He discovered that if you flattened it, 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:08.400 and pressed it on a comic book, 00:21:08.490 --> 00:21:10.820 it would pull the picture right off the page, 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:13.030 and then make all kinds of funny shapes. 00:21:15.270 --> 00:21:16.860 Then a few months later, 00:21:16.940 --> 00:21:18.200 the New Yorker Magazine 00:21:18.280 --> 00:21:21.280 publishes a story about Silly Putty. 00:21:21.370 --> 00:21:23.790 It was the kind of earned PR 00:21:23.950 --> 00:21:25.700 that every product manager 00:21:25.790 --> 00:21:28.710 dreams of in just three days. 00:21:28.790 --> 00:21:33.050 Silly Putty sales went to 250,000 units. 00:21:34.370 --> 00:21:35.620 In less than a year, 00:21:35.710 --> 00:21:39.710 Silly Putty becomes a blockbuster toy worldwide. 00:21:39.800 --> 00:21:40.550 Silly Putty 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:42.810 proves to be Peter Hodgson's 00:21:42.890 --> 00:21:44.310 ticket to the good life. 00:21:44.470 --> 00:21:46.800 He lives a life of luxury. 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:51.570 He has hundreds of millions of dollars in assets. 00:21:53.060 --> 00:21:55.140 Peter Hodgson dies in 1976, 00:21:55.230 --> 00:21:59.480 leaving an estate valued at $140 million. 00:21:59.570 --> 00:22:02.580 The next year his company is sold to Crayola, 00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:04.740 and sales of Silly Putty ultimately reach 00:22:04.820 --> 00:22:07.410 more than 300 million units. 00:22:09.580 --> 00:22:10.500 Kids may have been using 00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:13.250 Silly Putty in all sorts of fun ways, 00:22:13.330 --> 00:22:15.830 but adults saw some practical uses. 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:19.080 It was great for getting pet hair off of things 00:22:19.170 --> 00:22:21.250 or lint off your clothing 00:22:21.350 --> 00:22:24.430 or grime off your painted walls. 00:22:24.590 --> 00:22:27.430 The Apollo 8 astronauts also used it 00:22:27.520 --> 00:22:30.260 as a way of adhering their tools 00:22:30.350 --> 00:22:32.680 from floating around the space capsule 00:22:32.770 --> 00:22:35.280 when they were in zero gravity. 00:22:35.360 --> 00:22:37.940 This is one of those evergreen toys 00:22:38.020 --> 00:22:40.270 that just keeps on selling. 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:45.340 Meanwhile, by the mid 1950s, 00:22:45.430 --> 00:22:47.820 Slinky has also finally become a big moneymaker 00:22:47.910 --> 00:22:50.570 thanks to Richard James's ingenuity. 00:22:51.650 --> 00:22:53.150 Well, after the success at Gimbels, 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:56.000 he had to figure out a way to make these himself. 00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:58.750 He couldn't farm it out to a machine shop. 00:22:58.830 --> 00:23:00.500 There wasn't a lot of margin in there. 00:23:00.590 --> 00:23:02.170 So what did he do as an engineer? 00:23:02.330 --> 00:23:04.760 He ended up designing the machines 00:23:04.840 --> 00:23:07.010 that would take 80 feet of wire, 00:23:07.090 --> 00:23:10.010 and coil at 98 times to make Slinkys. 00:23:11.010 --> 00:23:12.510 Demand is so big, 00:23:12.600 --> 00:23:14.850 he builds six machines to keep up. 00:23:16.600 --> 00:23:18.190 Slinky is often running, 00:23:18.340 --> 00:23:20.600 or maybe I should say often walking, 00:23:20.760 --> 00:23:23.180 and it's a good business. 00:23:29.020 --> 00:23:32.690 The James family buys 31 acre estate 00:23:32.780 --> 00:23:34.540 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, 00:23:34.620 --> 00:23:36.440 one of the priciest neighborhoods 00:23:36.540 --> 00:23:37.870 in Philadelphia. 00:23:38.030 --> 00:23:40.950 They've got six kids, life is good. 00:23:41.030 --> 00:23:43.540 Outwardly, everything looks perfect, 00:23:43.620 --> 00:23:45.700 but all isn't as it appears. 00:23:49.710 --> 00:23:50.800 In 1957, 00:23:50.890 --> 00:23:53.710 looking for their own million dollar idea, 00:23:53.810 --> 00:23:55.890 Wham-O Co-founders Rich Knerr, 00:23:56.050 --> 00:23:58.310 and Spud Melin are strolling on the beach 00:23:58.470 --> 00:24:00.470 when it finds them. 00:24:00.550 --> 00:24:01.300 - Ow. 00:24:01.390 --> 00:24:02.640 - Oh-oh-oh. 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:03.890 What's that? 00:24:05.390 --> 00:24:07.320 - Like a miniature flying saucer. 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:09.730 Man, can it go. 00:24:13.070 --> 00:24:14.480 They return the strange disc 00:24:14.580 --> 00:24:15.580 to its owner, 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:18.750 former air force pilot, Fred Morrison. 00:24:18.830 --> 00:24:21.240 Fred Morrison was a World War II pilot. 00:24:21.320 --> 00:24:22.500 One day he was on the beach 00:24:22.660 --> 00:24:24.410 throwing a metal pie tin, 00:24:24.490 --> 00:24:26.660 when a beachcomber came up, 00:24:26.750 --> 00:24:29.550 and wanted to buy the tin from him. 00:24:31.080 --> 00:24:34.600 Now it was a 5 cent cake pan tin, 00:24:34.680 --> 00:24:36.590 and he could sell it for 25 cents. 00:24:36.670 --> 00:24:37.760 And that's when he decided 00:24:37.840 --> 00:24:39.520 I need to go into business. 00:24:39.600 --> 00:24:40.680 Morrison, 00:24:40.770 --> 00:24:43.090 substitutes the cake pan tin for plastic, 00:24:43.180 --> 00:24:45.020 and calls it the Whirlo Way 00:24:45.180 --> 00:24:46.860 after a famous racehorse. 00:24:46.940 --> 00:24:50.270 Then later changes it to The Flyin-Saucer. 00:24:50.350 --> 00:24:52.270 This was around 1947 00:24:52.360 --> 00:24:53.940 when Roswell was happening, 00:24:54.020 --> 00:24:55.770 and everything was outer space. 00:24:55.860 --> 00:24:57.440 So he thought the flying saucer 00:24:57.540 --> 00:25:00.360 would be a good thing to call it. 00:25:00.450 --> 00:25:03.540 After updating the design in 1954, 00:25:03.700 --> 00:25:06.130 Morrison changes the name again 00:25:06.210 --> 00:25:08.460 to the Pluto Platter. 00:25:08.550 --> 00:25:10.300 - Names of very important, 00:25:10.460 --> 00:25:13.460 and you can build a brand around a name. 00:25:13.550 --> 00:25:16.470 Who's going to buy a Pluto Platter? 00:25:16.630 --> 00:25:18.890 Sales never do take off, 00:25:19.050 --> 00:25:20.630 but enter Rich and Spud 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:22.800 who think they can make it a success. 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:25.810 Wham-O buys the manufacturing, 00:25:25.970 --> 00:25:27.650 and production rights from Morrison. 00:25:28.820 --> 00:25:30.480 They make design modifications 00:25:30.570 --> 00:25:33.400 to increase the accuracy and distance, 00:25:33.480 --> 00:25:36.480 and look to its origins to find a new name. 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:39.730 So early on, 00:25:39.820 --> 00:25:42.650 people would throw metal pie tins 00:25:42.750 --> 00:25:44.570 from the Frisbies Pie Company, 00:25:44.660 --> 00:25:47.330 and they would say like in golf, "Four." 00:25:47.410 --> 00:25:49.500 They would yell "Frisbee!" 00:25:49.590 --> 00:25:51.510 So they decided to trademark the name, 00:25:51.660 --> 00:25:53.570 and that's how the Frisbee was born. 00:25:53.730 --> 00:25:55.010 In the first two years, 00:25:55.200 --> 00:25:58.060 Wham-O sells more than a million disks. 00:25:58.250 --> 00:25:59.500 - They decided they're gonna go to all 00:25:59.580 --> 00:26:00.670 the college campuses, 00:26:00.750 --> 00:26:03.080 and these college kids start figuring out 00:26:03.160 --> 00:26:07.010 how to play like Frisbee football 00:26:07.090 --> 00:26:09.260 or even Frisbee golf. 00:26:09.420 --> 00:26:10.760 Hundreds of Frisbee players 00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:13.170 have come to display their skills. 00:26:13.260 --> 00:26:16.020 And all of these things eventually 00:26:16.100 --> 00:26:19.090 solidified Frisbee's position 00:26:19.190 --> 00:26:21.270 as the premier throwing disk. 00:26:21.270 --> 00:26:23.110 popularity spreading, 00:26:23.390 --> 00:26:25.720 Knerr and Melin are now officially 00:26:25.800 --> 00:26:26.810 in the toy business, 00:26:28.810 --> 00:26:31.570 but nothing could prepare them for the world, 00:26:31.650 --> 00:26:34.810 for the toy Wham-O would unleash next. 00:26:42.400 --> 00:26:44.160 - It doesn't bite. 00:26:44.320 --> 00:26:45.650 It does do something amazing thing folks. 00:26:45.740 --> 00:26:47.490 By the late 1950s, 00:26:47.570 --> 00:26:49.250 Slinky's creator Richard James, 00:26:49.410 --> 00:26:50.490 and his wife, Betty 00:26:50.580 --> 00:26:53.760 appear to be living the American Dream. 00:26:53.840 --> 00:26:56.500 But as sales of the Slinky begin to decline, 00:26:56.590 --> 00:26:58.800 Richard suffers a midlife crisis. 00:27:00.170 --> 00:27:02.100 - Richard isn't getting as much publicity 00:27:02.180 --> 00:27:03.010 as he craves. 00:27:03.090 --> 00:27:04.840 He starts getting distracted. 00:27:04.930 --> 00:27:06.760 He starts having affairs. 00:27:06.840 --> 00:27:08.100 Richard also joins 00:27:08.260 --> 00:27:09.850 a religious organization, 00:27:09.940 --> 00:27:12.850 and start sending them large amounts of money. 00:27:12.930 --> 00:27:14.180 - He goes all in. 00:27:14.270 --> 00:27:16.110 He's donating money left and right. 00:27:16.270 --> 00:27:17.360 He donate so much money 00:27:17.520 --> 00:27:21.020 that he put the Slinky Company in huge debt. 00:27:21.120 --> 00:27:21.780 - Things are starting to get 00:27:21.940 --> 00:27:23.700 really tough financially. 00:27:23.860 --> 00:27:26.360 They owe banks and steel suppliers more money 00:27:26.450 --> 00:27:27.710 than what they're taking in. 00:27:29.370 --> 00:27:30.620 Within a few months, 00:27:30.700 --> 00:27:34.370 Richard James downward spiral takes another turn. 00:27:42.050 --> 00:27:42.800 - Honey? 00:27:44.810 --> 00:27:47.970 - The Lord has called me to help spread his word 00:27:48.050 --> 00:27:49.560 to the people of South America. 00:27:51.390 --> 00:27:52.900 I'll be leaving for Bolivia today. 00:27:55.230 --> 00:27:56.570 - What are you talking about? 00:27:59.490 --> 00:28:01.030 - This is my calling. 00:28:02.900 --> 00:28:05.080 The Lord has- - What about the children? 00:28:06.820 --> 00:28:07.750 - You'll figure it out. 00:28:10.910 --> 00:28:12.040 As for the company, 00:28:13.660 --> 00:28:15.580 let the creditors have it, 00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:17.760 unless you wanna run it yourself. 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:22.340 - Maybe I'll do exactly that. 00:28:30.340 --> 00:28:31.090 At a time where women 00:28:31.180 --> 00:28:32.770 were definitely not expected 00:28:32.930 --> 00:28:34.930 to take on that kind of responsibility 00:28:35.020 --> 00:28:36.850 or even be capable of taking 00:28:36.930 --> 00:28:38.780 on that kind of responsibility, 00:28:38.860 --> 00:28:39.850 it's just a true testament 00:28:39.940 --> 00:28:41.200 to the kind of woman that she was, 00:28:41.280 --> 00:28:43.440 fearless, determined. 00:28:47.540 --> 00:28:48.690 Betty takes out a mortgage 00:28:48.780 --> 00:28:49.780 on her home, 00:28:49.860 --> 00:28:52.540 determined to revive the Slinky brand. 00:28:52.620 --> 00:28:54.530 She gambles everything she has 00:28:54.630 --> 00:28:56.120 on a Hail Mary. 00:28:57.960 --> 00:28:58.790 Betty James 00:28:58.870 --> 00:29:00.550 had very, very little resources. 00:29:00.710 --> 00:29:01.460 So what does she do? 00:29:01.550 --> 00:29:03.550 She goes out and hires musicians 00:29:03.710 --> 00:29:04.880 to write a jingle. 00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:07.890 She knew that if she can have a catchy jingle, 00:29:08.050 --> 00:29:09.640 people would remember it, 00:29:09.800 --> 00:29:12.130 and they would remember the product brand. 00:29:12.220 --> 00:29:15.220 - Jingles in the 1960s were huge. 00:29:15.310 --> 00:29:16.890 Absolutely huge. 00:29:16.970 --> 00:29:17.970 You would hear them on the radio, 00:29:18.070 --> 00:29:19.650 see them on the television. 00:29:19.740 --> 00:29:21.560 Well, these were powerful marketing tools. 00:29:21.650 --> 00:29:23.730 Who walks the stairs without a care 00:29:23.810 --> 00:29:25.560 It shoots so high in the sky 00:29:25.650 --> 00:29:27.820 Bounce up and down just like a clown 00:29:27.900 --> 00:29:30.240 Everyone knows its Slinky 00:29:30.320 --> 00:29:31.910 But will a jingle be enough 00:29:32.070 --> 00:29:33.330 to save the company? 00:29:33.420 --> 00:29:35.500 And Betty James is sinking fortunes. 00:29:38.580 --> 00:29:40.660 Meanwhile, after making a fortune 00:29:40.750 --> 00:29:42.920 on the Slingshot and the Frisbee, 00:29:43.000 --> 00:29:45.840 Wham-O founders Rich Knerr and Spud Melin 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:48.350 are looking for their next big idea. 00:29:49.850 --> 00:29:51.430 I think that Melin and Knerr 00:29:51.520 --> 00:29:52.770 didn't think they were you know, 00:29:52.850 --> 00:29:55.260 the only ones that can invent something fabulous. 00:29:55.350 --> 00:29:58.270 And they had this amazing open door policy. 00:29:58.360 --> 00:30:00.430 It didn't matter who you were. 00:30:00.520 --> 00:30:02.280 If you had an idea, 00:30:02.440 --> 00:30:04.270 they were going to listen. 00:30:05.870 --> 00:30:07.110 - So this is a buddy of yours? 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:08.280 - It's his wife. 00:30:08.370 --> 00:30:09.790 So she has something to use for exercise 00:30:09.870 --> 00:30:10.950 in Australia. 00:30:11.040 --> 00:30:13.530 He thinks we'll get a kick out of it. 00:30:13.620 --> 00:30:15.030 - One of Melin's neighbors, 00:30:15.120 --> 00:30:17.530 Joan Anderson returned from Australia 00:30:17.620 --> 00:30:20.040 with a bamboo exercise hoop. 00:30:29.810 --> 00:30:32.050 One of Jones' friends mentioned that 00:30:32.130 --> 00:30:33.380 the movements that she made 00:30:33.470 --> 00:30:35.640 kind of reminder of Hula dancers, 00:30:35.730 --> 00:30:39.060 and boom, the name Hula Hoop was born. 00:30:39.150 --> 00:30:40.570 When they saw it, 00:30:40.650 --> 00:30:41.900 and how it was being used, 00:30:42.060 --> 00:30:43.890 kind of a light bulb moment went off. 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:45.560 They thought we can manufacture this, 00:30:45.650 --> 00:30:47.410 and we can make this into a fun toy. 00:30:52.410 --> 00:30:54.500 They set up this handshake deal. 00:30:54.580 --> 00:30:55.500 It was totally verbal, 00:30:55.580 --> 00:30:56.660 no paper at all. 00:30:56.750 --> 00:30:57.570 And they said, 00:30:57.660 --> 00:31:00.000 "If the Hula Hoop becomes a hit, 00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:01.750 we'll give you royalties." 00:31:01.840 --> 00:31:03.090 And that's how it all started. 00:31:10.590 --> 00:31:12.010 Before it hits shelves, 00:31:12.170 --> 00:31:14.090 Wham-O upgrades the hoop, 00:31:16.020 --> 00:31:18.190 With a new durable lightweight plastic, 00:31:18.350 --> 00:31:19.440 and eye-catching colors 00:31:19.520 --> 00:31:22.440 to replace the bland wood tone of the bamboo. 00:31:24.030 --> 00:31:25.530 They put beads inside of it 00:31:25.610 --> 00:31:27.360 so that when kids would move their hips, 00:31:27.450 --> 00:31:29.770 you'd get a fun sound effect. 00:31:31.870 --> 00:31:33.360 They went to local parks, 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:35.450 and had different people demo it, 00:31:35.610 --> 00:31:37.460 and get kids in Southern California 00:31:37.620 --> 00:31:39.950 to talk about it and wanna play with it. 00:31:40.030 --> 00:31:42.040 People were drawn to the Hula Hoop. 00:31:42.130 --> 00:31:44.960 It was so simple but required concentration. 00:31:45.050 --> 00:31:47.460 It had a rhythm to it kind of hypnotic. 00:31:50.380 --> 00:31:51.550 It's the new Shoop Shoop Hula Hoop, 00:31:51.640 --> 00:31:53.960 with the new shoop sounds in the hoop. 00:31:54.050 --> 00:31:55.310 Hey, take it out, show it everywhere. 00:31:55.390 --> 00:31:57.630 It's more fun from Wham-O. 00:31:57.730 --> 00:31:58.890 They were making it as fast 00:31:58.980 --> 00:32:00.140 as they could, 00:32:00.230 --> 00:32:02.230 but also farming out to production 00:32:02.320 --> 00:32:03.320 to many different places 00:32:03.400 --> 00:32:05.140 just to simply to keep up with demand. 00:32:05.230 --> 00:32:07.400 By the summer of 1958, 00:32:07.490 --> 00:32:10.320 the Hula Hoop becomes the biggest toy fad 00:32:10.410 --> 00:32:11.990 the world has ever seen. 00:32:16.160 --> 00:32:19.670 But not everyone is celebrating Wham-O smash hit. 00:32:20.990 --> 00:32:22.740 - They're suing us. 00:32:22.840 --> 00:32:25.000 - Oh, that sure doesn't read like a love letter. 00:32:41.690 --> 00:32:43.260 In 1963, 00:32:43.350 --> 00:32:45.930 after years of debt and declining sales, 00:32:46.020 --> 00:32:48.110 Betty James hopes to bring Slinky 00:32:48.270 --> 00:32:50.200 back from the brink of ruin. 00:32:50.280 --> 00:32:51.780 Betting everything 00:32:51.860 --> 00:32:53.860 on an expensive marketing campaign 00:32:53.940 --> 00:32:55.780 with a new catchy jingle. 00:32:55.870 --> 00:32:56.610 It's Slinky 00:32:56.700 --> 00:32:57.620 It's Slinky 00:32:57.780 --> 00:32:59.610 For fun the best of the toys 00:32:59.710 --> 00:33:00.450 It's Slinky 00:33:00.540 --> 00:33:01.780 It's Slinky 00:33:01.870 --> 00:33:03.380 The favorite of girls and boys 00:33:03.530 --> 00:33:05.130 It's Slinky It's Slinky 00:33:05.290 --> 00:33:06.380 It's a fun and wonderful toy 00:33:06.540 --> 00:33:08.130 Slinky Slinky it's for girls and boys 00:33:08.290 --> 00:33:09.710 - Yeah, I'm a nerd. 00:33:09.800 --> 00:33:11.630 So I remember that stuff. 00:33:11.720 --> 00:33:12.470 Yeah, I know. 00:33:12.550 --> 00:33:13.710 - It was cool. 00:33:13.790 --> 00:33:15.460 Every time they hear the jingle, 00:33:15.560 --> 00:33:17.050 they think of the toy. 00:33:17.130 --> 00:33:18.880 So it was genius. 00:33:18.970 --> 00:33:19.970 And so that's why 00:33:20.060 --> 00:33:21.380 it became popular. 00:33:21.480 --> 00:33:24.140 And Betty had the vision, 00:33:24.230 --> 00:33:26.570 and realized that television, 00:33:26.720 --> 00:33:29.140 and jingles and this kind of marketing 00:33:29.230 --> 00:33:31.900 was extremely important 00:33:31.980 --> 00:33:35.410 in embedding the product into American society. 00:33:35.570 --> 00:33:36.320 So she bet, 00:33:36.400 --> 00:33:38.240 She made a bet and she won. 00:33:39.580 --> 00:33:40.650 Ironically, 00:33:40.740 --> 00:33:42.820 the toy that started as a failed design 00:33:42.920 --> 00:33:45.250 for the military in World War II 00:33:45.410 --> 00:33:48.660 would later be used during the Vietnam War. 00:33:48.760 --> 00:33:50.760 If you uncoil the Slinky and throw it, 00:33:50.840 --> 00:33:51.920 say up in a tree 00:33:52.080 --> 00:33:55.510 or put one hand on a pole and stretch it out, 00:33:55.600 --> 00:33:57.680 suddenly it can be used as a radio antenna 00:33:57.840 --> 00:33:59.840 because it's the perfect length 00:33:59.930 --> 00:34:04.260 for the seven to eight megahertz frequency range 00:34:04.350 --> 00:34:06.190 for communications in the field. 00:34:07.770 --> 00:34:09.100 Betty goes on to run 00:34:09.190 --> 00:34:11.350 James Industries for nearly 40 years 00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:13.450 as President and CEO. 00:34:13.600 --> 00:34:14.860 And just a few years 00:34:14.950 --> 00:34:18.200 before she sells the company in 1998, 00:34:18.280 --> 00:34:21.620 the movie "Toy Story" brings back the Slinky dog. 00:34:22.870 --> 00:34:25.530 More than 300 million Slinkys 00:34:25.630 --> 00:34:28.960 in all varieties will sell in James's lifetime. 00:34:29.050 --> 00:34:30.450 Enough to circle the earth 00:34:30.550 --> 00:34:32.880 about 150 times, if stretched. 00:34:34.300 --> 00:34:35.790 - Betty moved product, 00:34:35.880 --> 00:34:37.880 she got orders in hand, 00:34:37.960 --> 00:34:39.460 and she made the most of it. 00:34:39.560 --> 00:34:43.630 She proved to be every bit as good a salesperson 00:34:43.720 --> 00:34:47.050 as Richard was without the liabilities. 00:34:51.070 --> 00:34:52.820 Meanwhile, Wham-O is facing 00:34:52.980 --> 00:34:54.490 their own liability. 00:34:54.570 --> 00:34:55.740 They're suing us. 00:34:57.070 --> 00:34:58.740 Hulu was a huge success. 00:34:58.830 --> 00:35:00.900 But the two that had brought the idea to 'em, 00:35:00.990 --> 00:35:02.660 Joan and Wayne Anderson, 00:35:02.750 --> 00:35:05.250 hadn't seen any royalties. 00:35:05.410 --> 00:35:06.070 And the lawsuit 00:35:06.160 --> 00:35:07.750 isn't their only problem. 00:35:09.240 --> 00:35:10.420 - What does that look like? 00:35:10.580 --> 00:35:11.170 - It looks like a Hulu Hoop. 00:35:11.250 --> 00:35:12.340 It sure does. 00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:14.260 But it's not. 00:35:15.250 --> 00:35:17.250 It's a Hoop Around, 00:35:17.330 --> 00:35:18.840 they're cheaper than a Hula Hoop, 00:35:23.010 --> 00:35:24.100 And they're everywhere. 00:35:29.510 --> 00:35:31.100 - They couldn't stop people 00:35:31.190 --> 00:35:34.030 from creating plastic hoops just like theirs. 00:35:34.110 --> 00:35:36.280 So you've got all kinds of counterfeits 00:35:36.440 --> 00:35:37.860 coming out onto the markets 00:35:38.020 --> 00:35:40.780 like the Hooper Dupers and the Wiggler Hoops. 00:35:42.200 --> 00:35:43.950 They manufactured tens of millions 00:35:44.040 --> 00:35:45.700 more Hula Hoops, 00:35:45.790 --> 00:35:48.460 but demand dramatically drops off. 00:35:50.030 --> 00:35:52.290 And by the end of 1958, 00:35:52.380 --> 00:35:55.210 the company reports a loss of about 90,000 00:35:55.370 --> 00:35:56.210 in today's dollars. 00:35:57.720 --> 00:36:00.790 The Hula Hoop bubble has officially burst. 00:36:02.300 --> 00:36:03.390 - They couldn't give them away. 00:36:03.470 --> 00:36:04.310 And of course, 00:36:04.470 --> 00:36:05.970 they stopped the production. 00:36:06.060 --> 00:36:06.800 In fact, 00:36:06.890 --> 00:36:08.130 we have an expression, 00:36:08.220 --> 00:36:10.230 "It went the way of the Hula Hoop." 00:36:10.310 --> 00:36:12.400 Meaning that it went away. 00:36:13.470 --> 00:36:14.570 Knerr and Melin 00:36:14.650 --> 00:36:17.240 must now make good on that handshake deal 00:36:17.390 --> 00:36:20.240 with a warehouse full of unsold Hula Hoops, 00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:21.480 and a growing debt. 00:36:21.570 --> 00:36:23.070 When the Anderson's case 00:36:23.160 --> 00:36:25.320 finally got settled in court, 00:36:25.410 --> 00:36:27.990 Wham-O had so few assets 00:36:28.070 --> 00:36:29.740 that they only had to pay 00:36:29.830 --> 00:36:34.670 the Anderson's a mere $6,000 for their concept, 00:36:36.250 --> 00:36:37.840 which had turned into this incredible toy craze. 00:36:39.170 --> 00:36:40.680 To save their company, 00:36:40.760 --> 00:36:43.350 Knerr and Melin must do what they do best, 00:36:43.500 --> 00:36:46.840 find another hit before it's too late. 00:36:54.440 --> 00:36:55.860 After the meteoric rise, 00:36:55.940 --> 00:36:58.690 and spectacular fall of the Hula hoop, 00:36:58.780 --> 00:37:00.950 founders Rich Knerr and Arthur Melin 00:37:01.110 --> 00:37:04.360 are desperate to get Wham-O back on track. 00:37:04.440 --> 00:37:05.780 Wham-O basically 00:37:05.870 --> 00:37:08.780 has a business model that they burn 00:37:08.860 --> 00:37:11.710 white hot with a toy for a while, 00:37:11.870 --> 00:37:14.080 and then demand drops off. 00:37:15.200 --> 00:37:16.540 Now they're on the lookout 00:37:16.700 --> 00:37:18.130 for the next big thing. 00:37:24.800 --> 00:37:27.210 - And a pollster named Robert Carrier 00:37:27.300 --> 00:37:28.970 came home one day to see his son 00:37:29.060 --> 00:37:32.890 sliding on their concrete driveway, 00:37:32.980 --> 00:37:34.400 he had the hose running, 00:37:34.560 --> 00:37:36.150 and it was slick concrete. 00:37:36.310 --> 00:37:37.640 Robert had the idea 00:37:37.730 --> 00:37:39.570 to take vinyl coated plastic 00:37:39.650 --> 00:37:40.900 called Naugahyde, 00:37:41.060 --> 00:37:42.900 stitched it at intervals, 00:37:42.990 --> 00:37:44.810 inserted a hose, 00:37:44.900 --> 00:37:48.490 and the water squirted out at those intervals. 00:37:49.310 --> 00:37:50.630 It's a simple toy, 00:37:50.720 --> 00:37:53.470 but it was a huge hit for these guys. 00:37:53.560 --> 00:37:54.980 Then another inventor 00:37:55.060 --> 00:37:58.060 approaches them with a new opportunity. 00:37:58.140 --> 00:38:00.820 Norman Stingley was an engineer 00:38:00.900 --> 00:38:04.060 working in the petrochemical industry. 00:38:04.150 --> 00:38:06.730 He devised a way to take this specialized 00:38:06.820 --> 00:38:09.240 rubber called polybutadiene, 00:38:09.330 --> 00:38:11.500 and molded in such a way that it would create 00:38:11.580 --> 00:38:15.170 a very, very dense high bouncing ball. 00:38:15.250 --> 00:38:17.080 Basically you can throw it under a table 00:38:17.160 --> 00:38:18.090 on an angle, 00:38:18.170 --> 00:38:19.340 it will hit the floor, 00:38:19.420 --> 00:38:20.000 hit the table, 00:38:20.090 --> 00:38:20.920 and then reverse it, 00:38:21.080 --> 00:38:23.000 spin and come back to you. 00:38:23.080 --> 00:38:25.010 And it was this table trick 00:38:25.090 --> 00:38:28.670 that made Spud and Rich have that wow moment, 00:38:28.760 --> 00:38:30.760 because a lot of high bounce balls 00:38:30.840 --> 00:38:31.600 were on the market, 00:38:31.680 --> 00:38:34.760 but not ones that could do that. 00:38:40.280 --> 00:38:42.770 Wham-O introduces the Super Ball. 00:38:42.860 --> 00:38:43.600 And once again, 00:38:43.700 --> 00:38:44.700 has a smash hit 00:38:44.780 --> 00:38:46.870 in the hands of kids across America. 00:38:48.440 --> 00:38:52.360 - They sold 6 million of 'em in 1965 alone. 00:38:52.450 --> 00:38:53.370 Discover your youth power 00:38:53.460 --> 00:38:54.530 with Super Ball. 00:38:54.620 --> 00:38:56.710 Under a dollar wherever toys are sold. 00:38:56.790 --> 00:38:59.880 - I got my Super Ball! 00:38:59.960 --> 00:39:01.800 By Wham-O. 00:39:01.880 --> 00:39:03.870 It became such a craze 00:39:03.960 --> 00:39:05.300 that it caught the attention 00:39:05.380 --> 00:39:07.210 of President Johnson. 00:39:07.300 --> 00:39:09.210 President Johnson orders five dozen 00:39:09.300 --> 00:39:10.460 of these balls, 00:39:10.550 --> 00:39:13.550 and gives them away as presidential gifts. 00:39:18.390 --> 00:39:20.640 It's rumor that the Super Ball 00:39:20.720 --> 00:39:22.640 may have also inspired the name 00:39:22.730 --> 00:39:23.730 of the most watched 00:39:23.820 --> 00:39:25.700 professional sporting event in America. 00:39:26.910 --> 00:39:28.660 In 1966, 00:39:28.740 --> 00:39:31.730 Pro Footballs AFL and NFL conferences 00:39:31.820 --> 00:39:34.740 prepare to battle it out in a final big game 00:39:34.820 --> 00:39:36.920 to be called the World Championship Game. 00:39:39.330 --> 00:39:40.170 Lamar Hunt, 00:39:40.330 --> 00:39:42.000 the founder of the AFL, 00:39:42.090 --> 00:39:44.420 and the owner of the Kansas City Chief 00:39:44.580 --> 00:39:47.840 saw his kids playing with the Super Ball. 00:39:49.170 --> 00:39:51.930 And in a play on that name, 00:39:52.010 --> 00:39:54.350 he gave that big game 00:39:54.430 --> 00:39:56.850 a new title that has stuck with it 00:39:56.940 --> 00:39:59.430 for more than half a century. 00:40:00.760 --> 00:40:01.850 The Chief's on to the banger. 00:40:01.930 --> 00:40:03.430 35 to 10. 00:40:03.530 --> 00:40:06.600 A super debut for the Super Bowl. 00:40:08.490 --> 00:40:10.420 America's most iconic toys 00:40:10.500 --> 00:40:13.920 have captured the imagination for decades. 00:40:16.560 --> 00:40:17.640 But it's their creators, 00:40:17.720 --> 00:40:19.310 and the challenges they faced 00:40:19.470 --> 00:40:21.730 that are truly inspiring. 00:40:21.890 --> 00:40:25.310 - Betty James is definitely a hero of mine. 00:40:25.470 --> 00:40:27.220 She was not only a genius, 00:40:27.310 --> 00:40:30.070 but she also forged a way for women 00:40:30.150 --> 00:40:31.570 in the toy business. 00:40:33.410 --> 00:40:36.070 Peter Hodgson was a man 00:40:36.160 --> 00:40:37.980 who fulfilled his dream, 00:40:38.070 --> 00:40:40.490 fame fortune, the good life, 00:40:40.570 --> 00:40:43.870 all thanks to that little egg full of goo. 00:40:45.330 --> 00:40:48.330 Richard Knerr and Arthur Spud Melin 00:40:48.410 --> 00:40:50.660 were really fun-loving guys, 00:40:50.750 --> 00:40:52.500 and it was always the wow factor. 00:40:52.580 --> 00:40:53.840 They wanted to find a toy 00:40:53.930 --> 00:40:55.680 that made you sort of step back and go, 00:40:55.760 --> 00:40:58.050 "Whoa, that was interesting." 00:41:01.100 --> 00:41:03.770 Novelty toys built America 00:41:03.930 --> 00:41:06.270 in the sense that they have allowed people 00:41:06.430 --> 00:41:08.850 at every price point to get in on the fun. 00:41:08.930 --> 00:41:11.360 Toys like Slinky, Silly Putty, 00:41:11.440 --> 00:41:15.270 the Hula Hoop build us as a culture, 00:41:15.360 --> 00:41:16.450 as country, 00:41:16.530 --> 00:41:19.700 and as a toy industry they united people. 00:41:19.860 --> 00:41:21.540 All of these toys, 00:41:21.620 --> 00:41:22.360 what they have in common 00:41:22.450 --> 00:41:24.460 is they're hands-on toys. 00:41:24.620 --> 00:41:26.630 There's a connection between your hands, 00:41:26.780 --> 00:41:30.210 and your brain in the development of kids. 00:41:30.300 --> 00:41:32.880 So these toys certainly built the kids 00:41:32.970 --> 00:41:35.290 that would grow up and build America.