California: January 2008 Archives

Wham-O creator Richard Knerr dies at 82

By Tom Teicholz on January 20, 2008 10:00 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
Genius comes in many forms. Richard Knerr, is the man who brought to the world (he didn't invent, he marketed) such products as the Hula Hoop, the Frisbee, SuperBall, the Slip 'N Slide, and Silly String. Simply put: Are these not essential artifacts of our times? Doesn't the mere mention of them trigger happy memories, childhood associations -- don't they automatically bring a smile to your face? Knerr was a California native -- which makes perfect sense given that California is the state of self-invention, endless summer, and perpetual childhood where people make industries of their childhood dreams -- Knerr with a childhood friend, nicknamed "Spud" resisted their father's entreaties to go into family businesses and instead started by manufacturing Slingshots -- the sound of which they described as "Wham-O."

For the NYTimes obit click here. 
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This page is a archive of entries in the California category from January 2008.

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