Slinky

Slinky

This modern replica Slinky is based on the original design from 1945. It is an example of a toy that was popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s, at the height of the Space Race. Slinkys are a precompressed helical tension spring that can famously 'walk' down stairs and are still sold today all over the world.

Invented by Richard James in 1943, the Slinky was first shown off at the Gimbels Department Store in Philadelphia, America. In a 90-minute period the entire stock of 400 Slinkys sold out. It was a massive hit and Richard James and his wife Betty subsequently set up James Industries to mass produce the toy. James Industries was later merged with Poof Products, to form Poof-Slinky, Inc. Poof-Slinky, Inc. manufactured this replica model of the original Slinky design, reverting back to oiled blue-black steel instead of the more modern chrome steel.

Slinkys have even been used in space. Travelling aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1985, they were used for experiments by the crew in the weightless environment.