Friday, October 15, 2010

Let's Play Some Frisbee...!


Now, I know that many of you have played with one of these at some point in time! Probably had a lot of fun with it, too!

NO smarty-pants! I'm talking about the Frisbee, not the girl! I do have to admit that she might have made a good tossing partner, but I wanted to discuss the toy and not your choice of playing partners!



Back in the day of my childhood, we used to play with the lid off a coffee can. That was in the day when the coffee can lids were removed with the aid of a twisting "key", much like the "key" used on sardine cans! These lids had some pretty sharp edges on 'em, so the tossing was usually done without a partner to do the catching!

It wasn't until the emergence of the plastic disc that the catching could be done without some cut fingers! Here is a brief history from About.com concerning the wonderful Frisbee!

The Frisbee story starts in college. Late 19th-century students at Yale and other New England universities played catch with pie plates (some say it was cookie tin lids) made by the nearby Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. They yelled "Frisbie!" to warn passersby away from the spinning discs.

In 1948, Walter Morrison and his partner Warren Franscioni created a plastic version to sell at county fairs. The airfoil at the outer edge, called the Morrison slope, gives the toy its lift in flight. Hoping to cash in on the fascination with UFOs after the 1947 sightings in Roswell, New Mexico, Morrison called his creation the "Flying Saucer," then the "Pluto Platter."

Wham-O founders Arthur "Spud" Melin and Richard Knerr (creators of the Hula Hoop) bought rights to the toy in 1955, and renamed it "Frisbee" in 1958. Sales soared, reaching 100 million before Mattel bought out Wham-O.

Early in the 1960s, people treated the flying disc as a counterculture sport. Wham-O's first "professional" Frisbee followed in 1964.


Don't you just love finding out a little about some of the things you used to play with? Older versions, newer versions...it really doesn't matter. What matters is that they were fun, they sometimes were educational, and they offered a way to get plenty of exercise while enjoying it at the same time!

How cool is that? Getting healthy by playing outside! WAIT...! Didn't our folks say something like that to us many times when we were younger? I think they did!

Now, my friends, let's get some fresh coffee and sit outside for a bit! Maybe we can toss the Frisbee around for a bit...just don't expect me to chase it very fast, OK?

13 comments:

Calandreya said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0VOVuxiahk&feature=autofb

This video relates to your tale, and I thought it was worth a few giggles. :)

Ken said...

...i've thrown the frisbee around a couple times this week(last weekend)...it's still one of the Mrs favorite things to do,our young'uns are pretty good at it too...we got two or three good ones about,they come in different weights,the one i'm holding is 175 grams(kinda light,good for the offspring)i got a good heavy one,225 grams i think,for the park days...anyway,thanx for more history lessons Jim

...other favs:horseshoes and lawn jarts(i still have the good steel pointed kind)

Ben in Texas said...

Hot me aging with the memories sir.. For us on the farm it was coffee can lids and Dried Cow Patties!!! They were slow moving and usually broke on landing. :-)

Didja ever have one of the ones that whistled as it flew through the air?

Anonymous said...

I haven't played with a Frisbee for years, my young son and daughter need that experience - thanks for the reminder. I used a frisbee for an expedient plate when camping. One of my 'doper' cousins used it to de-seed his 'mota' - he's long grown out of that phase, that was back in 70's.

Never knew the historical background - thanks HermitJim.

HermitJim said...

Hey Calandreya...
Thanks for the video link. I appreciate it!

Thanks also for coming by today!


Hey Ken...
Ya know, sometimes the simple things are the best! So many games can be made up with toys like the Frisbee...it's no wonder that it was so popular!

Nice to know that some things don't change that much, isn't it?

Thanks, buddy, for coming by today!


Hey Ben...
Glad we weren't the only ones that used a coffee can lid!

We didn't have any cows, so I didn't ever use the cow pies!

Never had any of the whistling ones, but back then we got most of ours free somewhere! Seems like so many folks were giving them out as advertising!

Still a lot of fun, I reckon!

Thanks, buddy, for oming by today!


Hey Anon 7:08...
I think the kids today would have a lot of fun with some of the things like the Frisbee! Lord knows, some of them could use the exercise!

Wonder how many more of the older toys we can get them interested in?

Man, I need to get outside a bit more! Now that it's finally turning cooler, that would be a good time to throw a few!

Thanks for coming by today!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

HJ, it's been such fun going back through time in the toyworld and reading these posts. Never knew about using a coffee can lid as a frisbee. Here's another one for old times sake - remember the Slinky toy - it's still available.

HermitJim said...

Hey Beatrice...
Glad you're liking the toy history! Yep, those old coffee can lids sailed pretty good!

As far as the Slinky...I did a post about them a few days ago! You might want to go back and give it a read...

Thanks for coming by today!

Dizzy-Dick said...

Yep, I remember them. A dog made a good catching partner.

Good luck on your eye procedure next Wednesday, I know you will like the change it will make in your life and when you need both done the wait for the other one to get fixed seems to be forever. At least you can compare the "new" eye to the "old" one.

What kind of lense are you getting? Since I like telescopes, my doc gave me ones that let me see better at night.

HermitJim said...

Hey Dizzy...
You know I'm ready for the change for the better! Getting it done just before the Christmas season is pretty cool!

I sure do appreciate you coming by today, my friend!

Mechanic in Illinois said...

Our dog is the best fan of the frisbee. He plays for hours with it. Thanks for the great lesson.

Marjie said...

My dearly beloved was raised about 7 miles from Yale, so he tells the kids the story of the Frisbee often. They might think he's gone a little bit nuts, repeating that story, but they put up with both of us anyway!

And I just loved the Hula Hoop! Since my back surgery, I can't bend any more, so I use that as my excuse for not hula-hooping any more.

Tatersmama said...

I've still got a frisbee around somewhere... probably on the roof, knowing me and my throwing skills!
I never could throw for the life of me, but I could almost always catch it - even if I had to do a dive to do it!!

I might have to go check the roof now.. hahaha!

Anonymous said...

We used to use hubcaps, until one day we didn't get them back on the car before Dad was up...

AV