Slinky

Who walks the stairs, without a care
It shoots so high in the sky.
Bounce up and down, just like a clown.
Everyone knows its Slinky.

The best present yet, to give or get
The kids will all want to try.
The hit of the day, when you are ready to play
Everyone knows it's Slinky.

It Slinky, It's Slinky
for fun, the best of the toys
It Slinky, It's Slinky
the favorite of girls and boys.

After failing as a an anti-vibration device for military ships the inventor marketed his little metal spring thing as a toy. After more than 50 years of production using the original machinery in Pennsylvania, enough Slinkys have been made that the miles of wire used is said to be enough to circle the earth 126 times. 250 million of the $1.99 toys have been sold.

In 1999 the U.S. Postal Service featured the toy in its “Celebrate The Century” commemorative stamp program. The stamp design shows a Slinky in the classic play position, straddling a step.

The Slinky is a toy made from a coiled piece of steel or plastic. It looks like a spring although the coils are very thin. When set on one end it looks more like a tube with thin grooves. The Slinky was invented in 1945. For the uninitiated, or for those sadly forced to grow up in a ranch style house (ranch style meaning "single floored", not "packed with sour cream and onion flavor"), Slinkys, when properly motivated will descend stairs (alone or with an au pair). Motovating them is similar to starting liquid flow in a siphon—you kinda have to get the Slinky started, then let gravity take over.

Slinky's were originally made only from steel, but in the late '70s they came out with larger, lighter plastic versions as well.

If the Slinky had gone to college, it would have lived in the same dorm as Silly Putty™, Lite Brite™, and Sit-and-Spin™.

Apart from the original Slinky, several other varieties exist. There is Slinky Jr., which is about half the size of the original. You can also find glow-in-the-dark Slinkies, as well as Slinkies made out of solid brass, and gold plated slinkies, called "The Executive Slinky." There was also a 50th Anniversary collector's edition Slinky put out in 1995. It is a darker colour metal than the regular Slinky, and comes in a replica of the original Slinky box.

Slink"y (?), a.

Thin; lank.

[Prov. Eng. & U. S.]

 

© Webster 1913.