Wham-O creator Richard Knerr dies at 82

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. 

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.