“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.” “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. Wham-O cofounders Arthur Melin and Richard Knerr try out their toy company's Hula Hoop. By September of that year, more than 300,000 slides had been sold. 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. Namely, the successful toy manufacturer Wham-O, founded by two University of Southern California graduates in 1948. Others saw beauty in Carrier’s design, too. 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.” “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. 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 duct had punctures along the length of it, from which water could be released via pressure from the hose. 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. Carrier's "Aquatic Play Equipment," patented May 2, 1961.Īccording to Carrier’s 1961 patent, the “ aquatic play equipment ” was a portable surface for the “sport” of body planing. The vinyl-coated, waterproof fabric was a vast improvement-slicker and safer-over the perilous concrete. The next day, Carrier, who worked as an upholsterer with a boat-manufacturing company, brought home a 50-foot roll of Naugahyde, which he unraveled on the driveway. “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. To escape the heat, the boys had turned the hose on the painted concrete, creating a cool, slippery surface to play on. 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. The invention of the Slip ‘N Slide is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the result of some childhood shenanigans. 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. 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. 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 perfect slip and slide will make your party a real wild ride!Īvailable for supervised or unsupervised overnight/DIY hire.It was August 2000, and I’d been picking noodles out of my hair for days. To boost the fun factor on your next outdoor event, give Big Fun a call on 1800 244 386 to hire our Slip n Slide. We’re known for making the best rides around, that’s why we’re one of the industry’s longest standing brands. It’s why we’ve been featured on TV & radio so much. It caters to people of all ages and sizes, and best of all, setting it up is an absolute breeze! Premium quality safety.īig Fun’s slip ‘n’ slide is top shelf, high-quality stuff. There are plenty of reasons to choose the slip and slide as the entertainment of choice for your event. Once we deliver it to the spot you want it, all you have to do is attach the hose and you’re good to go – you’ll have cold water and a smooth track all day long, which is a perfect recipe for a great time! Pair up and run into the two slip-lanes where our slide will keep you slipping all the way into the giant wave at the end! The twin lane Big Fun Giant Waterslide is fun for any age. It’s the coolest fun you can have without going for a dive.
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