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Wham-O Co-Founder Richard Knerr Has Died

by Julie on January 22nd, 2008

Richard Knerr, co-founder of the company Wham-O who brought toys like the hula hoop, frisbee and silly string to our world, died Monday at his home in Arcadia, California. He was 83 years old and reportedly died of a stroke.

In 1958, Knerr, an avid games enthusiast, along with his business partner and longtime friend Arthur Melin, began mass-marketing the hula hoop after gaining inspiration for the product from a friend in Australia who used a wooden hoop as exercise.

The wide, hollow circle of plastic — that with the right combination of hip twisting and jerking could be made to whirl around the waist — became an instant hit in post-World War II America.

"No sensation has ever swept the country like the Hula Hoop," author Richard A. Johnson wrote in his book "American Fads." It "remains the standard against which all national crazes are measured."

The first year that hula hoops graced our presence, 44 million of them were sold and by 1960, 100 million has reached into American homes across the country.

Take a look at this picture of the Girl Scouts, Brownies and Blue Birds showing off their hula hoop techniques:

Other Wham-O toys included the slingshot, Slip n Slide, Limbo Game, SuperBall and the Water Wiggly. They sold them company in 1982 for 12 million dollars.

I don’t think toys like the hula hoop, frisbee or limbo are going anywhere for awhile. They seem to be coming back and kids are enjoying them, or at least mine are. :)

You will be missed Mr. Richard Knerr.

Photo Source: Guardian Unlimited//Article Source: AFP

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