Failed to delete flower. In 1958, as Frisbee sales took off, an Australian toy manufacturer visited Wham-O's factory in the Los Angeles suburb of San Gabriel. Failed to report flower. A system error has occurred. The cause was Alzheimer's disease, his wife, Suzy, said. Their inspiration came from a slingshot they had made while hunting with falcons, which was used to shoot meat up to the birds. Arthur Spud Melin - Crunchbase Person Profile Wham-O's initial success was a result of its founders' insight. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. But nothing could compare to the whirlwind force of the Hula-Hoop, which Wham-O introduced the next year. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Melin and Knerr showed entrepreneurial spirit early on. Summary. Spud Melin's genius saw the potential, and, after prototype trials with Pasadena children, manufactured, with Knerr, a hollow cylinder in light, durable polyurethane. 1948: WHAM-O founded. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. March 5, 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 companys co-founder, Arthur Spud Melin. 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. 1948: WHAM-O founded. (It was later sold to Mattel, which then sold it to a group of investors.)Mr. He suggested they start making the toy at Wham-O, the San Gabriel-based company he had started with his childhood friend, Richard Knerr. In the 1960s they produced a US$119 do-it-yourself bomb shelter cover. Long story short, after much effort and rejection, Spud finally got financing for his Hula Hoop, and Wham-O went on to sell some 25 million hoops the first year, making The enormous popularity of the Hula Hoop was short-lived and within a matter of months, the masses were on to the next big thing. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. All Rights Reserved. The two stayed on as consultants for several years, but it wasnt the same. A full body orgasm at the L.A. Phil? Richard Knerr (19252008[2]) and Arthur "Spud" Melin (19242002[3]), two University of Southern California graduates who were friends since their teens, were unhappy with their jobs and decided to start their own business. If it was good, the company would license it and pay out a royalty. The elephant was unloaded and the delivery truck left. Wham-O was the comic book sound effect they assigned to their ball bearings hitting a target, and a good name for a company that specialized in launching projectiles: blowguns, throwing knives, and tomahawks followed. 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. Youre never going to see a toy that costs a dollar on television again. The success of the Super Ball and Frisbee largely made up for Wham-Os misadventures with the Hula Hoopwhich, contrary to belief, wound up being a steady seller over time. Please enter your email and password to sign in. "[My mother] and Spud's wife would demonstrate hula hoops in parks and recreation centers around the country," Chuck says. COSTA MESA, Calif. Arthur "Spud" Melin, co-founder of the toy company that introduced the world to the Frisbee, Hula Hoop and other faddish gems of American Wham-O first tried to sell the disk as the Pluto Platter, an attempt to cash in on the country's fascination with unidentified flying objects. The companys name, Wham-O, came from the sound the slingshots supposedly made. Edit Overview Section. (It was later sold to Mattel, which then sold it to a group of investors.). This Is How Rich Youd Be If You Invented These Iconic Products Arthur Melin, 77, a Promoter of the Hula-Hoop, Is Dead Wham-O first tried to sell the disk as the Pluto Platter, an attempt to cash in on the country's fascination with unidentified flying objects. The Atlanta Falcons Have Hired the Founder Over the years, Wham-O churned out 25 million Hula Hoops. April 25, 2018. They just banned Elvis Presley's hips from the Ed Sullivan show.' All Rights Reserved, Hula Hoop promoter Arthur Spud Melin dies. 5 March 1963 The Hula Hoop is patented - PressReader Melin and his wife, Suzy, became aware of children in Australia and elsewhere around the South Pacific playing with a bamboo or rattan ring by swinging it around their hips. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. READ MORE: The History of Must-Have Holiday Toys. 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". Mr. Melin became active in conservative causes like immigration reform, but continued to pursue inventions. Who Invented the Hula Hoop? Joan Anderson Did. - The Atlantic "Superball was such a great one. Youd never see a company making both toys and weapons now. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Knerr and childhood buddy Arthur "Spud" Melin started a slingshot-selling business in 1948 in Pasadena and called their company Wham-O after what they said was WebEd Sullivan (2): Directed by Franklin Heller. The Frisbee was originally marketed under a different name, the Pluto Platter, in an effort to capitalize on Americas fascination with UFOs. You can always change this later in your Account settings. All rights reserved. New products were developed for tryout periods. By various estimates, 20 million to 40 million were sold that year worldwide.But as quickly as the fad arrived, it ended, when school began, leaving Wham-O with millions of hoops and a $10,000 loss for the year.Wham-O rebounded a few years later with the unusual spring of the SuperBall, made of a compressed plastic known as Zectron. Knerr was also quoted in 1997 as saying the name came from a comic strip called Mr. Melina and Knerr were inspired to develop the Hula Hoop after they saw a wooden hoop that Australian children twirled around their waists during gym class. Bubble Thing (1988), a flexible plastic strip attached to a wand, which was dipped in soap solution and waved through the air to create giant soap bubbles. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Nevertheless, the public of all ages also adopted them, buying more than 100 million Frisbees in 30 years. Long story short, after much effort and rejection, Spud finally got financing for his Hula Hoop, and Wham-O went on to sell some 25 million hoops the first year, making ), Congressional investigators blame airlines for most flight cancellations, Its kayak season. Wham-O eventually branched out from slingshots, selling boomerangs and other sporting goods. In the early 1960s Wham-O created the Super Ball, a high-bouncing ball made of a hard elastomer Polybutadiene alloy, dubbed Zectron, with a 0.92 coefficient of restitution when bounced on hard surfaces. After selling more than 100 million Hula Hoops in 16 months, Arthur Spud Melin and Rich Knerr took a look at their books. After selling more than 100 million Hula Hoops in 16 months, Arthur Spud Melin and Rich Knerr took a look at their books. John Daly asked the gentleman if First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower, oversaw the interior decorating of When a ball dreams, it dreams it's a Frisbee," they said. And like his father, Arthur Smith excels at his job. Their Air Blaster could blow out a candle at 25 feet. Even in the face of abdominal injury, no one could resist the Hoop. By 1948, they had moved into Knerr's Los Angeles garage, where Spud Melin cut slingshots with a handsaw, Knerr sanded, and both sold, personally first, then by mail-order and through dealers all over the United States. Some versions say Knerr had become aware that the idea had come from flinging the Frisbie pie tins, and he changed the spelling slightly to trademark the name. Its first hit toy, a flying plastic disc known as the Frisbee, debuted in 1957. Nonetheless, Hula-Hoops remain the most extraordinary US global imposition - travelling faster in two years than Coca-Cola in decades. They had no corporate ego, willing and happy to allow inventors like Springley and Morrison to pose with their creations. They just banned Elvis Presley's hips from the Ed Sullivan show.' The ball was uninjured. A group of investors then bought Wham-O back from Mattel in 1997 for about $20 million and relaunched many of its best-known toys, including the Slip 'N Slide. Instead of counting a fortune, Wham-O was sitting on inventory they wouldnt clear for years. The childhood friends formed WHAM-O in 1948, as college students, when they began making and selling slingshots in a garage. 1997: Wham-O becomes independent again when an investment group purchases it from Mattel, January 2006: Wham-O is sold for ~ US$80million to, 2008: Wham-O introduces the EZ Spin Foam Frisbee Disc, a soft foam version of the Frisbee, 2009: Wham-O sold to investment firm The Aguilar Group. The adolescent appetite for dangerous weapons and sporting goods was so large that the two were soon grossing $100,000 in annual revenue. 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 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. Wham-O changed the name to Frisbee and began selling the rebranded toy in 1958. Introduced Hula-Hoop and Frisbee The Irish Times This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Rather, he said, the name came from a comic strip of the era called Mr. Frisbie. Arthur Melin | | The Guardian In the 1960's, the company says, it sold 20 million SuperBalls until it dropped the product. Resend Activation Email. 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