Now this is truly a story with a happy spin. It has for decades been one of the most wildly popular playthings for adults and children alike, in spite of the fact that it is also one of the simplest: just a nondescript round disc designed to be tossed back and forth.
And as it turns out, January 23 is not only National Pie Day, not only National Penmanship Day, but a significant day for the beloved flying disc twice over. The man who is credited with the toy’s invention, Walter Frederick Morrison, was born on January 23, 1920 in Richfield, Utah.
Just as New England college students had discovered the simple but huge fun of playing catch with an empty pie tin (Bridgeport Connecticut bakery Frisbie Pie Company tins were reportedly all the rage), Morrison stumbled across the same joy with the lid of a popcorn container at a family gathering in 1937. The next year, Morrison began selling Flyin‘ Cake Pans on the beach at Santa Monica California. His nascent business was put on hold for the sake of his enlistment in the Army Air Corps during World War II. His military service included the harrowing ordeal of having survived being shot down, captured, and held as a prisoner of war, as well as developing a stronger knowledge of the physics and mechanics of flight (a bit of knowledge he would tuck away for future reference).
The post-war period witnessed Morrison’s attention having returned to his enterprise, and in the late 1940s the metal-based construction gave way to the development of a mold and the use of plastic in the manufacturing of the discs, which were called the Flyin‘ Saucer starting in 1948, and then the Pluto Platter in 1955.
Successful regional sales of the Pluto Platter soon caught the attention of the then new Wham-O, Inc., a maker of slingshots. After introduction, and a period of discussion and negotiation, Wham-O purchased the rights to the Pluto Platter on January 23, 1957, which happened to be Morrison’s 37th birthday. 1957 was an interesting and fortuitous year for Wham-O: The Hula Hoop craze was catching fire, causing the company to temporarily divert materials and production effort to keeping up with the insatiable demand. But by the following year, the disc was back on track, and had been given the Frisbee name we all fondly recognize today.
While the simple joy of tossing a Frisbee is one that millions continue to enjoy, there have been some incredibly cool developments in the game that even Morrison could not have imagined. There are frisbee golf courses in countless parks and established leagues and tournaments around the world for the soccer-like game Ultimate Frisbee. And the device, having proven itself to be a wonderful way for us to have more fun with our dogs, is now the basis for Frisbee catching competitions where dogs and their keepers show off some amazing stunts.
So Tonic says happy birthday, Mr. Morrison, same to your wonderful invention … and many happy returns!
Photo courtesy of ericskiff via flickr