On November 27th, 1945, the Slinky helical spring toy, was released for sale at the Phildelphia Gimbels department store. The toy was invented by mistake by American naval engineer Richard T. James in 1943. After James discovered the opportunity for the Slinky, he and his wife Betty formed James Industries and began to manufacture Slinkys in Clifron Heights Pennsylvania, selling them for $1 each. The Slinky had trouble selling at first, but Gimbels granted permission to set up an inclined plane in their store to demonstrate the toys capabilities. Within 90 minutes, all initial 400 units were sold. In 1946, it was introduced at the American Toy Fair. After 60 years, the Slinky had sold over 300 million units and has been inducted into the American Toy Hall of Fame.
