Best Classic Toys 2002

Original Metal Slinky

• Novelty
• Toy

Price: $2.99

Phone: 800-329-8697

Year Introduced: 1945

Slinky is a long time favorite toy that looks like a spring but once it is moving, has a great deal to teach children about gravity. It is fun to hold, watch it move and then move it back and forth in your hands. It is amazing to watch it move down the stairs. This is a toy that will intrigue children for a long time. Slinky is a great favorite and also one of the best values in toys today.

History of James Industries

In 1945 Richard and Betty James convinced Gimble Brothers to allow them to display in their storefront window a Slinky walking down a slant board. They sold 400 Slinky's in an hour! Then they saw the potential in the product Richard invented. Betty James took over the company building the company and raising her children. She says about Slinky's success: "It is simplicity and that's the way it started. It's affordable and fun."