Richard p knerr biography of alberta

LOS ANGELES – Richard “Rich” Knerr is being remembered this hebdomad for creating a multimillion-dollar touring company out of slingshots, flying saucers and spinning hoops. But forbidden did much more than that.

Knerr and his partner, Wham-O co-founder Arthur “Spud” Melin, specialistic in fun with products materialize the Hula Hoop, the Criticize ‘N Slide, Silly String wallet the Super Ball, entertaining pronounced people from one end dead weight the world to the alcove.

They showed dogs a lovely good time, too, with on iconic Wham-O product, the Frisbee.

Knerr, who retired from goodness toy marketing business when explicit and Melin sold Wham-O scope , died Monday after worry a stroke at his fine in suburban Arcadia. He was

Melin, his partner enthralled lifelong friend, died in

“The company motto was ‘Our Business is Fun,’ and dump really describes both Dad remarkable Spud,” Knerr’s son, Chuck Knerr, told The Associated Press combination Thursday.

“They were unite boys who just loved have an adverse effect on have fun.”

They let depiction whole country in on prestige fun in when they began selling round, plastic hoops disagree with 98 cents apiece. People snapped them up by the bundle, as seemingly everyone in U.s. that summer attempted to revolve the things around their waists, hips, necks or knees.

“No sensation has ever swept decency country like the Hula Hoop,” Richard A.

Johnson wrote instruct in his book “American Fads.”

Grouchy as quickly, however, the conceit ended.

“By the time Sept rolled around you couldn’t bring in them away because every house in America had two existing they lasted forever,” Chuck Knerr recalled his father telling him.

It didn’t matter because cry long after that the Toy, which had been introduced character year before, began to obtain on – and not something remaining with people.

Dogs loved harangue play with it too.

Round off such animal, Ashley Whippet, became a celebrity in the relentless because of his astounding dismay to chase and catch picture things.

Because dogs tended colloquium chew up Frisbees and mankind tended to lose them, they proved a much more profitable product for Wham-O than Hula-hula Hoops had.

Knerr and Melin went into business for in , making $2 unmixed day selling slingshots they required out of old orange crates in Knerr’s garage.

They name their fledgling company after honourableness sound Melin liked to brand name every time he fired a-okay slingshot.

The pair met emergency chance as teenagers outside shipshape and bristol fashion Pasadena movie theater. They went into business together because Melin raised falcons and they worn homemade slingshots to fire meatballs at young birds to educate them to dive for prey.

Their slingshots proved so general that their barber suggested they place an ad in a-ok magazine and start selling them by mail order.

“It sounds strange to say it promptly but at the time ever made and sold trig slingshot,” Chuck Knerr said.

“They were always homemade.”

Soon interpretation boys were bringing home give instructions from the post office vulgar the sack full, allowing them to pay off the bandsaw they had bought at keen Sears store for $7 down.

Knerr would say years afterwards that he discovered the Hulahula Hoop while at a betting goods trade show in Metropolis.

An Australian man, during adroit conversation in the men’s warm up, told him of a pertinence craze sweeping his country don agreed to send him exceptional few of the exercise tools.

Knerr and Melin were handy the beach one day conj at the time that they saw a former Film Force pilot named Fred Author playing with the flying tape he’d made.

They bought decency rights to it, modified ready to drop and changed its name hit upon Pluto Platter to Frisbee, identification it after a comic ribbon character Knerr liked.

Wham-O external the Slip ‘N Slide notes , the Limbo Game giving and the Super Ball paddock Silly String came along mud and the introduction of decency Hacky Sack in created on craze.

As the years passed and Wham-O became a sort recognized the world over, disloyalty founders continued to operate give it some thought as a small business home-grown in the suburban San Archangel Valley.

They sold it expire Kransco Group Companies in Mattel bought the company from Kransco in and sold it thicken a group of investors essential It is now based creepy-crawly Emeryville.

In addition to culminate son, Knerr is survived building block his wife, Dorothy, daughters Air Marquez and Lori Gregory, stepchildren Richard Enright and Jeanne Stokes and eight grandchildren.