Once it was made, he spent time improving the design. ” was a portable surface for the “sport” of body planing. The seniors at my high school decided the incoming freshmen needed a bonding experience, and so they laid out at least a dozen bright yellow plastic slides across the soccer fields, dumped Kraft macaroni and cheese on top, and turned on the hoses. The magic water slide quickly became a summer staple and an estimated 10 million Slip’N Slide water slides were sold between 1961 and 1992. By the Slip 'N Slide's 50th birthday in 2011, more than 30 million of the rain-slicker-yellow slides had been sold, according to Wham-O. Robert Carrier's 1961 patent for what became the Slip 'N Slide. Simply roll out the narrow plastic mat, attach a garden hose, and do try to make sure that the end of the slide doesn't lead to a tree, driveway or sidewalk. As for Slip ‘N Slide’s inventor, Robert Carrier used royalties earned from his creation to start an aircraft interior business. Terms of Use By attaching the tube to a garden hose, water would spray from tiny holes along the length of the slide, making the plastic extremely slippery. [4], "Iconic Slip'N Slide® Makes a Big Splash on its 50th Birthday", "The Accidental Invention of the Slip 'N Slide", "50 Years Later, The Slip'N Slide Is Still Simple, Speedy Fun (For The Brave) - Wham-O", "WHAM-O Backyard Water Slides Are Dangerous For Adults And Teenagers - CPSC.gov", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slip_%27N_Slide&oldid=1001322445, Articles with dead external links from May 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 January 2021, at 05:23. She is a 2020 AAAS Mass Media Fellow and the co-founder and director of The Inner Loop, a nonprofit organization for writers. Finalist Slip N'Slide, manufactured by Wham-O was first introduced in 1961 and invented by Robert Carrier. “All we wanted as kids was ‘please, can we please have a pool,’” says Walsh. Carrier sold his invention to Wham-O, which replaced Naugahyde with plastic to cut down on production costs.[3]. Caligula's Gardens, Long Hidden Beneath Italian Apartment Building, to Go on View, The 'Last' Female Swinhoe's Softshell Turtle Died in 2019. Smithsonian Institution. Carrier was inspired by his son sliding on wet, painted concrete. By attaching the tube to a garden hose, water would spray from tiny holes along the length of the slide, making the plastic extremely slippery. Carrier was a Californian father who would come home from work to find his 10-year-old son and friends sliding down his painted concrete driveway – exciting for the kids but extremely worrying for the father. Luckily, the folks at Wham-O toys were there to help, via the ever-popular Slip 'n Slide. From that modest beginning came more innovative takes on the idea, including substituting plastic for Naugahyde. Privacy Statement It was August 2000, and I’d been picking noodles out of my hair for days. Commercials featuring kids flying across their lawns brought the toy—an ordinary package on the shelf—to life. Slip ‘n Slide was invented by Robert Carrier. The first prototype was made of Naugahyd, because Carrier worked at an upholstery shop. Water runs through the tube and out small perforations, spraying onto the sliding surface. The toy that eventually became known as the Slip 'N Slide was patented in 1961 by Robert Carrier. Invented by upholsterer Robert Carrier and released by Wham-O® in 1961, the Slip ‘N Slide® gained instant recognition for turning backyards into magical summer play lands and continues to be passed on from generation to generation. Invented by upholsterer Robert Carrier and released by Wham-O® in 1961, the Slip ‘N Slide® gained instant recognition for turning backyards into magical summer play lands and continues to … Vote Now! My wife (and kids) are big fans of the classic Slip 'N Slide on a summer day. 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Though the Slip ‘N Slide name has become synonymous with the product and those like it, now, none except Wham-O’s can be the trademark yellow. An upholsterer named Robert Carrier invented the Slip ‘n Slide and sold the idea to Wham-O toys, who released the first ones way back in 1961. 17th Annual Photo Contest Finalists Announced. [2] Carrier used his job as an upholsterer to obtain a long strip of Naugahyde, to which he sewed a tube to pass a hose into, and punctured the tube intermittently to allow water to spurt out. “The best inventions are so simple that people are like, ‘Wow, why didn't I think of that?’ But if you look at the patent, I mean it is really genius. Slip ‘N Slide has yet to win the honor, but given its iconic status Bensch says he is “confident it will have its day.”, As for Slip ‘N Slide’s inventor, Robert Carrier used royalties earned from his creation to start an aircraft interior business. Carrier was inspired by his son sliding on wet, painted concrete. In 1960, a man named Robert Carrier came home to find his young son, Mike, and a friend playing in the driveway. Injuries occur because people heavier or taller than children might stop suddenly when diving onto the toy. The Slip ’N Slide is a toy manufactured by Wham-O, first introduced in 1961 after being invented by Robert Carrier. It is this shared experience—the visceral response to seeing that plastic chute atop the lawn—that makes Slip ‘N Slide one of the most enduring toys of all time. … Like most classic toys, the Slip N Slide owes its existence to a time-honored tradition; namely, that of young boys trying to find creative ways to kill themselves. Not too long after, Carrier partnered with toy company Wham-O to manufacture the “Wham-O Slip ‘N Slide Magic Waterslide.” To make it affordable, they replaced the 50-foot roll of Naugahyde with a 25-foot yellow plastic tarp. The Road to Rochester: Slip ‘n Slide Throughout October, Kidscreen is taking a peek at each of this year's 12 nominees for the Toy Hall of Fame. Carrier’s job at a boat manufacturer gave him an idea for a safer version, utilizing Naugahyde. Courtney Sexton, a writer and researcher based in Washington, DC, studies human-animal interactions. “Remember,” wrote Wham-O on the toy’s 50th anniversary, “if it’s not yellow—it’s not a Slip ‘N Slide.”. Simple but can bring HOURS of fun to your summer day! Wham-O and makers of similar competitive products later included various enhancements such as an inflatable pool at one end of the sliding surface and spray tubes on both sides. While my fondest memory of the Slip ‘N Slide is messier than most, it nevertheless connects me to generations of kids who have spent their summers skidding through backyards, soaked with delight in their very own water world. “It was off the market for while… [Wham-O] kept shortening the length of it, so if you're a full grown-adult and you can sprint way faster than a kid and you weigh 100 pounds more than a kid and the thing is short, and you stop short, bad things are going to happen,” says Walsh. Between 1973 and 1991, seven adults and a 13-year-old suffered neck injuries or paralysis while using Slip ’N Slides. Both the manufacturer and the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend that only children use the toy due to the risk of back and neck injuries when it is used by teenagers and adults. According to Carrier’s 1961 patent , the “aquatic play equipment” was a portable surface for the “sport” of body planing. All Classic Slip ‘N Slide model the original Slip ‘N Slide made by inventor Robert Carrier. You attach the hose to one end and then sew the other end shut so that there's pressure, and then you put spaces in between the stitches so that water literally shoots out every inch and lubricates the entire surface of the slide.”. See more ideas about vintage toys, childhood memories, my childhood memories. It was the summer of 1960, and Robert Carrier had returned home from work to find his 10-year-old son, Mike, and his friends careening down their driveway in Lakewood, California. To escape the heat, the boys had turned the hose on the painted concrete, creating a cool, slippery surface to play on. The Slip ‘N Slide was a very inexpensive way to have fun and cool off.” At $9.95, Slip ‘N Slide was much cheaper than day passes for the family to the neighborhood pool. The 30-foot-long, 40-inch-wide Slip ‘N Slide went on sale in 1961 and was an immediate hit, selling 300,000 units priced at $9.95 in a matter of months. Its creator, Robert Carrier, came up with the idea of making a slide out of a long strip of Naugahyde that had holes punched in it so that water could emerge in spouts throughout the length of the material. Sep 6, 2020 - Explore Joe Gulick's board "Wham-O", followed by 223 people on Pinterest. Others saw beauty in Carrier’s design, too. The Slip ‘N Slide was born in 1960, when a California father named Robert Carrier saw his son using wet concrete to speed along on a summer day. Even in the blurred black and white of a commercial from the 1960s, the footage of happy kids hydroplaning while friends lined up for a turn made a sure sell. Read more. Invented by upholsterer Robert Carrier while watching his son hose down their slick concrete driveway and slide down on it, the Slip’N Slide was launched to market This 25' long Slip N Slide unit is a great addition to any party for adults or children. As of 2011, more than 30 million Slip ‘N Slides had been sold, and it won’t be surprising if 2020’s “quarantine summer” sees even higher than usual sales. The vinyl-coated, waterproof fabric was a vast improvement—slicker and safer—over the perilous concrete. “I believe I’m not speaking out of turn when I say Slip ‘N Slide is the most profitable line in Wham-O,” says Walsh. The invention of the Slip ‘N Slide is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the result of some childhood shenanigans. ", followed by 411 people on Pinterest. Keep up-to-date on: © 2021 Smithsonian Magazine. Today, a Slip ‘N Slide costs about $35, depending on the model. Even today it is still a favorite. The duct had punctures along the length of it, from which water could be released via pressure from the hose. But Carrier’s son had given him an idea. Carrier used his job as an upholsterer to obtain a long strip of Naugahyde, to which he sewed a tube to pass a hose into, and punctured the tube intermittently to allow water to spurt out. Inductee: Little Green Army Men. By September of that year, more than 300,000 slides had been sold. We definitely bonded. According to Walsh, Carrier showed his invention to coworkers, and found out that his boss “knew someone at a toy company up in San Gabriel.” Trading out Naugahyde for a less-expensive vinyl plastic and shortening the length to 25 feet, Wham-O released the “new amazing invention, the Wham-O Slip ‘N Slide Magic Waterslide” at the Toy Fair trade show in New York City in February 1961. “IT’S CRAZY… people scoot like seals!” declared the box, but that was hard to imagine until seeing the “wet, wild ride” on the screen. “It’s cool, summer splashing fun…the famous Slip ‘N Slide by Wham-O!”. Continue According to Carrier’s 1961 patent , the “aquatic play equipment” was a portable surface for the “sport” of body planing. Package labeling now includes an age limit of 12, and explicitly states that the toy is not for adult use. The design also now features an inflatable pool-like reservoir at the end of the slide, intended to prevent hard stops and flips that could cause injury. “I believe I’m not speaking out of turn when I say Slip ‘N Slide is the most profitable line in Wham-O,” says Walsh. Get ready to slip and slide your Slip N Slide… Despite these controversies, Slip ‘N Slide’s staying power is strong, and in 2014, more than 40 years after Carrier’s original design first hit the market, the toy was nominated for induction into The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame. Daniel Modlin, commerce staff writer for the Daily Beast, recently declared, "I'm getting my Slip ‘N Slide before they're all sold out, and I recommend you do the same thing. Jul 25, 2016 - Explore granny roses's board "CELEBRITY DOLLS!!!! Cookie Policy Robert Carrier hoped his invention would replace body planing in mud, which evidently was or maybe even still is a thing because body planing in mud is "dangerous" and "messy." Operation is also vastly improved by any lubrication liquids. “They just seem to get it, and capture something that isn't quite like anything you've seen before, but suddenly you've got to have.”, Wham-O’s early TV advertisements made the Slip ‘N Slide a summer must-have. Amazingly, the Slip 'N Slide predates the Super Soaker by 29 years. It started with some bored kids on a … When Kransco bought Wham-O in the mid-1980s and re-released the toy, Carrier negotiated a full buy-out. Slip N Slide Wave Rider Double Bring some serious water fun to your garden with the original and best Slip ‘N’ Slide from Wham-O Invented by upholsterer Robert Carrier while watching his son hose down their slick concrete driveway and then slide down on it, the Slip ‘N’ Slide was launched to market by Wham-O in 1961. From his original strip of Naugahyde, Carrier took a ream of the plastic material and sewed a tube into the side, forming an “irrigating duct” to which a hose could attach. Seams stitched across the length of the fabric at regular intervals also carried water laterally, wetting the repellant surface but not making it soggy. The toy consisted of a long sheet of yellow plastic with a tube running along one edge. See more ideas about dolls, barbie dolls, celebrities. The Wham-O® Slip ‘N Slide®, a mainstay of backyard summertime fun, is turning 50 this year. “I think it is telling that the Slip ‘N Slide comes from Wham-O, a company that seems to have a particularly sensitive finger on the American pulse, as the people who brought you the Frisbee, the Hula Hoop and the SuperBall,” says Chris Bensch, Vice President for Collections at The Strong National Museum of Play. Namely, the successful toy manufacturer Wham-O, founded by two University of Southern California graduates in 1948. The Slip ’N Slide is a toy manufactured by Wham-O, first introduced in 1961 after being invented by Robert Carrier. Get the best of Smithsonian magazine by email. The duct had punctures along the length of it, from which water could be released via pressure from the hose. Invented by upholsterer Robert Carrier while watching his son hose down their slick concrete driveway and slide down on it, the Slip’N Slide was launched to market by Wham-O in 1961. An upholsterer named Robert Carrier invented the Slip 'n Slide and sold the idea to Wham-O toys, who released the first ones way back in 1961. California Do Not Sell My Info “Of course, he was the real inventor, and a great father.”. The toy consisted of a long sheet of yellow plastic with a tube running along one edge. A 1993 recall reflected concerns over the potential danger of the slides, reporting that between 1973 and 1991 seven adults and a 13-year-old who used WHAM-O slides suffered neck injuries, quadriplegia or paraplegia. Slip ‘N Slide 50th birthday. According to Carrier, seeing his son slide on wet painted concrete inspired him to create the toy. “It’s very easy to dismiss,” says Walsh. … [1] Carrier was inspired by his son sliding on wet, painted concrete. “Mike told me the story of his dad saying, ‘well you guys are going to kill yourself sliding on concrete’,” says Tim Walsh, game inventor and author of Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them.