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October 16, 2008 12:12:50 AM CDT

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Father of the Hula Hoop, Frisbee Dies

Posted Jan 17, 08 4:23 PM CST in Arts & Living,  US 

(Newser) – Richard Knerr, co-founder of the company that launched the Hula Hoop, Frisbee, and Silly String, died of a stroke Monday at 82. Knerr went from selling slingshots out of his parents' garage with lifelong pal and business partner Arthur Melin to creating the hugely profitable Wham-O toy company. The story is "pure Americana," one Frisbee fan told the Los Angeles Times.

The innovative duo nabbed the idea for the Hula Hoop from a bamboo exercise ring; within months, Wham-O had sold 25 million. It was sold to Mattel in 1994 and then to an investor group. Knerr made his fortune, but he never turned into a stuffy suit: "If it wasn't about fun, he wasn't interested," said one relative.

Source Los Angeles Times

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Almost every American family owned a Hula Hoop by the 60s.   (Shutterstock)
Girl Hula Hooping   (Archive Photos)
Richard Knerr and Arthur Melin's Frisbee led to the first Frisbee Dog World Championships in 1975.   (Shutterstock)
This undated photo released by Wham-O Inc., shows the toy maker's Richard Knerr, right, and Arthur "Spud" Melin. founders of the company that created the Hula-Hoop, Frisbee and dozens of other toys. Knerr...   (Associated Press)
This undated photo released by Wham-O Inc., shows toy maker Richard Knerr co-founder of the company that created the Hula-Hoop, Frisbee and dozens of other toys. Knerr died Monday, Jan. 14, 2008, after...   (Associated Press)
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