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Father of the Hula Hoop, Frisbee Dies

Richard Knerr's Wham-O also produced Slip 'N Slide, Silly String

By Caroline Zimmerman,  Newser User

Posted Jan 17, 2008 4:23 PM CST
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(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.

Almost every American family owned a Hula Hoop by the 60s.
Almost every American family owned a Hula Hoop by the 60s.   (Shutterstock)
Richard Knerr and Arthur Melin's Frisbee led to the first Frisbee Dog World Championships in 1975.
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 died Monday, Jan. 14, 2008, after suffering a stroke at his Arcadia, Calif., home, said his wife,...
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 suffering a stroke at his Arcadia, Calif., home, said his wife, Dorothy. He was 82. (AP Photo/Courtesy...
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)
Girl Hula Hooping
Girl Hula Hooping   (Archive Photos)
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A few words from the current Wham-O CEO
East Bay Business Times

More on the history of the Frisbee
About.com

 
obituary • toys • Richard Knerr • Arthur Melin • Frisbee • hula hoop

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