Vintage Metal Slinky Toy in Original Box, James Industries, Philedelphia, Pa. Circa 1940's
This is a vintage Slinky toy in it's original cardboard box with a humble but great history.
There are no rips or tears in the box and the slinky is in complete functioning order with only minor surface rust.
The box measures 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" x 3 1/4"
The box is clearly marked 'Patent Pending' indicating it's early age.
Mechanical engineer Richard James invented the Slinky by accident.
In 1943, he was working to devise springs that could keep sensitive ship equipment steady at sea. After accidentally knocking some samples off a shelf, he watched in amazement as they gracefully “walked” down instead of falling. Along with his wife Betty, James developed a plan to turn his invention into the next big novelty toy.
Betty combed the dictionary for an appropriate name and came up with “Slinky.” James designed a machine to coil 80-feet of wire into a two-inch spiral. The couple borrowed $500 to manufacture the first Slinkys.
Initial sales proved sluggish but soared after Gimbels Department Store in Philadelphia allowed demonstrations for Christmas 1945. The first 400 Slinkys sold within minutes. An advertisement with a memorable jingle familiarized a national customer base. “What walks down stairs alone or in pairs and makes a slinkety sound? A spring a spring, a marvelous thing. Everyone knows it's Slinky!” Slinkys glided effortlessly down stairs on television, but alas most household steps proved too tall and wide for long descents. Still, at the end of the 20th century and 250 million Slinkys later, people continued to buy them.
Slinky was originally priced at $1, but many paid much more due to price increases of spring steel throughout the state of Pennsylvania; it has, however, remained modestly priced throughout its history as a result of Betty James' concern about the toy's affordability for poor customers.
Slinky has been used other than as a toy in the playroom: it has appeared in the classroom as a teaching tool, in wartime as a radio antenna, and in physics experiments with NASA.
Slinky was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York, in 2000.
In 2002, Slinky became Pennsylvania's official state toy, and, in 2003, was named to the Toy Industry Association's "Century of Toys List."
In its first 60 years Slinky sold 300 million units
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- United States : 2 - 3 business days
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Are these new items?
All items in my shop are vintage and antique meaning previously owned, loved and used.
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If it is agreed upon between the seller and buyer that an item will be returned,it is the responsibility of the buyer to pay for return shipping. Once the item is received to the seller a refund of the purchase price only will be applied to the buyers account.
I ship quickly -1-3 business days-so I will only except a cancellation within 24 hours of purchase since I will be preparing the item for shipment in order to expedite your purchase
Why are shipping costs so high?
The shipping cost is determined by the postal service which is described below Due to the various sizes and weights of the items in my shop I unfortunately cannot offer free shipping
I utilize the USPS for shipping all packages and have found them to be the most economical and reliable
USPS has discontinued Regional Rate Box prices. This means that this mail class is no longer available
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