Goodnight, Wham-O

Later followed the still-popular Slip 'N Slide in 1961, the SuperBall in 1965 and the miracle that is Silly String in 1972.

The SuperBall was famously and brilliantly parodied on "Saturday Night Live" in 1991 as the incredibly dangerous "Happy Fun Ball." In the bit, the fake "SNL" commercial announcer drones on over a seemingly endless list of dire warnings, including "Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball." He says that the ball's core "should not be touched, inhaled or looked at."

Introduced in mid-'60s, SuperBall advertisements of the day billed it as the "MOST FANTASTIC BALL EVER CREATED BY SCIENCE!" as if there were some sort of arms race with the Soviets to create high-bouncing rubber balls. It "BOUNCES almost FOREVER!" the ads screamed. The Wham-O version had "50,000 LBS OF COMPRESSED ENERGY!" Take that, Ruskies!!

What would the American childhood have been like over the last half century without these two visionaries? There can't be a person alive in the United States who hasn't at some point played with a Wham-O toy, and there's hardly a dog that hasn't caught a Frisbee in its mouth, or at least stood there patiently for several minutes while its owner hit it in the face trying. So this week, why not toss an old Frisbee up on the roof to honor Rich and Spud, the two men who almost certainly made your childhood a better one--and who might even be the reason you have a little brother.

© 2008