Arthur "Spud" Melin
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| Private | |
| Industry | Toys |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin |
| Headquarters | Carson, California |
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Key people
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Todd Richards: President |
| Website | http://www.wham-o.com/ |
Wham-O Inc. is an American toy company in Carson, California, United States. They are known for creating and marketing many popular toys in the past nearly 70 years, including the Hula Hoop, the Frisbee, the Slip 'N Slide, the Super Ball, the Trac-Ball, Silly String, the Hacky Sack and the Boogie Board.
Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin, two University of Southern California college graduates unhappy with their employment, began the company in 1948 as "WHAM-O Mfg. Co." in the Knerr family garage in South Pasadena. Their first product was the Wham-O slingshot, made of ash wood, which Knerr and Melin would promote by showing off their own skills at demonstrations. The powerful slingshot was used by clubs for competitive target shooting, as well as for small game hunting. The name "Wham-O" was based on the sound of the slingshot's shot hitting the target. When they outgrew the garage they rented a building on S. Marengo Ave in Alhambra, California, in 1955, the company eventually moved its manufacturing plant to neighboring San Gabriel, California.
In 1957, Wham-O, still a fledgling company, took the idea of Australian bamboo "exercise hoops" and manufactured them with Marlex. The new Hula Hoop was born (the name "hula hoop" has been used since the 18th century). Knerr and Melin had created the biggest fad to date. Twenty-five million were sold in less than four months, and in two years sales reached more than 100 million units. By the end of 1959, after US$45 million in profits (US$346M adjusted for inflation to 2012), the fad slowly was dying out.
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Wikipedia