      
A torsion spring used in a testing meter fell off James' desk and tumbled end over end across the floor. James took it home to Betty that evening and said, "I think I can make a toy out of this." Two years later, after James experimented with various types of steel, Slinky was ready for its debut. It was at the end of the counter at Gimbel's at Christmastime in 1945 that Slinky made its first public appearance. Without a large company backing it, Slinky sat sadly on the shelf, ignored by the crowds. Richard went to the store, positive that if people just saw what Slinky could do, they'd buy it. He took Slinky out of the box and maneuvered it end-over-end down the counter. Within an hour and a half of that famed stretch, four hundred Slinkys were sold. In 1952 Mrs. Helen Malsed of Seattle, Washington, sent an idea to Richard and Betty. Slinky Dog soon joined his family on the shelves of toy stores everywhere. Slinky Dog became something of a recluse. But he's made his comeback in "Toy Story" -- and in toy stores, too.
"We need more monkeys!" "Golly Bob Howdy!"
Slinky Dog's voice belongs to Jim Varney.
|