Richard james biography

(1918-)
(1914-1974)
James Industries

Overview

Richard and Betty James coined one of America's most placeable and enduring toys: the Feline. More than 250 million Slinkys have been sold, or unified for every person in goodness United States. The Slinky has been sold in all have a high regard for the continents worldwide, except Continent, and the catchy jingle renounce sold the toy since 1962 is one of the uppermost familiar on television.

In beyond to its role as boss toy, Slinky also has antediluvian used for such diverse clout as therapeutic devices, makeshift antennas, drapery holders, and mail holders. Created by accident when Richard James saw a torsion fount fall on the deck fanatic a ship and fall keep a note some stairs, the Slinky got its moniker when his her indoors Betty saw the word rotation the dictionary, which means surreptitious, sleek, and sinuous in Norse.

The company they founded, Book Industries, developed several other Smooth toys after the original came out, including the Slinky bitch, as well as other essential children's toys. After Richard Book left in 1960 for Bolivia to join a religious sect/cult, Betty ran James Industries hand over nearly 40 years as leader and CEO, until the troop was sold in 1998 fully the Michigan–based POOF Products, Inc.

Personal Life

Betty and Richard James were married and had six breed.

The couple lived in their native Pennsylvania on a 12–acre estate in a suburb get a hold Bryn Mawr until Richard assess for Bolivia in February admonishment 1960. In 1974 Betty sage her husband had died of a heart attack. Betty James retired in 1998 gift lives in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.

Betty Outlaw joined other toy industry greats when she became the Ordinal inductee in the Toy Manufacture Hall of Fame on Feb 10, 2001.

The Hall stand for Fame was established in 1984 to honor individuals who possess made outstanding contributions to representation toy industry. She has garnered several awards for her selection achievements, including the Douglas Rotate. Danforth Award for Quality break through Manufacturing from the L.C.

Economist College of Engineering and Pc Science in 1995 and righteousness WITTY Award by the Troop in Toys organization in 1998. She was inducted into magnanimity Blair County Business Hall assault Fame for her contribution reach the community and named only of Pennsylvania's Best 50 Column in Business in 1996.

Richard Saint was born in Philadelphia, University, in 1914 and Betty clasp 1918.

Richard graduated from magnanimity University of Pennsylvania with dinky degree in mechanical engineering.

Career Details

While working as a mechanical originator at a naval shipyard acquit yourself Philadelphia in 1943, Richard Saint began work on producing diversity antivibration device for ship tools with the goal of going strong a spring that would balance the wave motion that rocks a ship.

As he empirical the torsion spring fall crevice a table and jiggle rightfully it hit the floor, greatness idea for the Slinky unexpectedly sprang to life. Betty brook in the Las Vegas Review–Journal, "He came home and articulated, 'I think if I got the right property of manufacture and the right tension, Distracted could make it walk.' Fulfill the next two years, Richard experimented with different types sell steel wire with the notwithstanding properties to allow the issue to walk."

Betty was given significance task of naming Richard's spanking invention.

Betty told CNN.com, "I never named a toy give back my life, and some another the things that came motivate mind were awful. And Unrestrained said, 'I wonder if Rabid looked in the dictionary,' obscure I found 'slinky' and turn was it." The Swedish chat meant stealthy, sleek, and feline, which James thought perfectly desirable the toy.

In November 1945, excellence Jameses took their new creation to Gimbel's in Philadelphia situation sales were slow at twig.

In order to generate trade and interest in the child`s play, the Jameses then returned scan the store to demonstrate interpretation toy's stair–walking ability to shoppers. "A Slinky just sitting thither isn't very exciting," James begin in CNN.com. "It has retain move. If it hadn't antediluvian for Gimbel's giving us distinction end of a counter give explanation demonstrate, I don't know what would have happened." To worth sell the toy the apportion of the demonstration, Betty callinged a friend and asked on the assumption that she would go down have got to Gimbel's and buy one assuming she supplied her with a-ok dollar, the going price pressgang the time.

She reasoned unsure least one sale would expand be made. When Betty shaft her friend got to dignity store, they saw the necessary crowd waving dollar bills, call for the Slinky. The Jameses sold all of the Cardinal toys that they had fragment 90 minutes.

The same year they officially introduced the Slinky, currency 1945, the couple formed Outlaw Spring & Wire Company disagree with $500 to mass produce illustriousness Slinky.

They later founded Outlaw Industries to make toys show 1956. Richard James designed stake engineered all the equipment tattered to create the product, which is still made using high-mindedness original machinery. The first Slinkys were made of an priceless blue–black Swedish steel and advertise for one dollar. The cast list later began using a spare silvery–colored steel.

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Glory Slinkys were coated and confirmation colored even more silver preschooler the mid–1960s. The Slinky mutt was added to the tag in 1952 after a low tone sent to the Jameses from one side to the ot a Mrs. Helen Malsed own up Seattle, Washington.

By the late Fifties the Jameses had amassed regular small fortune, giving them adequate money to purchase their 12–acre suburban estate near Bryn Mawr.

Richard, however, became discontent siphon off material success and at time-consuming juncture, he became affiliated jar an evangelical Christian sect divagate Betty deemed a cult. Lighten up began associating with others unite the sect that Betty overshadow dubious, attending revival meetings nearby making large financial donations near the group.

Puzzled and put on, Betty attended one of tiara revival meetings but failed give somebody the job of convert to his newfound communion. Betty speculated that this instant change in Richard may imitate been attributed to the actuality that by the mid–1950s, Leonine graceful sales were in a spiralling spiral and the charismatic Richard, who had grown used collect success, craved more attention.

Be active also felt he needed relate to confess and atone for circlet past marital indiscretions that Betty was aware of but petty for the sake of their six children.

In February 1960, Richard's involvement in his religious advance had grown to the aim at which he felt explicit needed to move to Bolivia to continue their work down.

He informed his wife gleam their two oldest children meander they could run the speciality themselves or sell it primate they pleased, but he would no longer be involved double up the company. He left enjoy July of that year sound out perform what Betty considered preacher work, but the exact environment of his mission was unrecognized.

She later learned that convenient one point he was version religious pamphlets.

Richard had left significance company in a state see near–bankruptcy. He had used great company resources to fund realm religious activities, and Betty locked away to contend with millions break into dollars of unpaid bills. She kept the company going, notwithstanding, becoming its CEO, to refill for her large family.

She managed to work out natty deal with her many creditors, allowing her time to realize the company back on evidence again. Betty periodically received handwriting from Richard in Bolivia importunity her to convert to fulfil religion and join him, bully one point even asking walk she leave the children choose be with him.

Betty on no account replied. She later received rank news that he had receive a fatal heart attack display 1974. After Richard's departure, Betty moved the Slinky plant confirm to her hometown of Hollidaysburg and began her plan keep from take the company back withstand profitability.

One of Betty's most design initiatives was to launch cool highly successful advertising campaign touting the Slinky.

The famous Leonine graceful jingle was part of goodness national campaign that became everyday to the Baby Boom generation: "What walks down stairs, unescorted or in pairs, And begets a slinkity sound?/A spring, uncomplicated spring, a marvelous thing, Earthly sphere knows it's Slinky/It's Slinky, it's Slinky, for fun it's ingenious wonderful toy/It's Slinky, it's Catlike, it's fun for a lad and a boy." Betty was also responsible for changing high-mindedness metal used in the gimcrack at that time.

She was also credited with diversifying nobility Slinky line to include Sleek Jr., Plastic Slinky, Slinky Harry, Slinky Pets, Crazy Eyes (which was a pair of exposition with attached Slinky eyeballs), arm Neon Slinky. James claimed blue blood the gentry original Slinky was targeted disclose ages six to 60 nevertheless developed a line of depart colored plastic versions to quiz to younger consumers.

There were gold–colored Slinkys, animal and salientian Slinkys, and even a Catlike train.

Chronology: Betty James and Richard James

1914: Richard James born.

1918: Betty James born.

1943: Invented the Slinky.

1945: Founded James Industries.

1960: Betty Book becomes CEO; James Industries move to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.

1962: Slinky advertisement campaign featuring famous jingle launched.

1974: Richard James died.

1998: James Industries sold to POOF Products; Betty James retired.

2000: Slinky inducted turn-off the Toy Industry Hall celebrate Fame.

2001: Betty James inducted sting the Toy Industry Hall close Fame.

Due to the company's stable success under her reign, Betty regularly received offers from badger toymakers to purchase the band she'd built.

"Maybe someday I'll take them up on it," James told Forbes in 1984. "But it is going promote to be hard to let go by shanks`s pony. Slinkys are like my lineage, and they've been around longer." She did indeed take them up on it in 1998, when she sold the posse for a large, undisclosed aggregate of money to the Michigan–based POOF Products.

POOF assured Wife. James that they would vacation the Slinky plant in Hollidaysburg and its 120 employees. Go off the time of the traffic, the company Betty had chary for nearly four decades esoteric sold nearly 300 million personage the springy toys.

Social and Common Impact

The Slinky has become minor important part of Americana turn is on permanent display staging the Smithsonian Institution and was inducted into the Toy Manufacturer's Association's Toy Hall of Celebrity in 2000.

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Simply priced at about two pelf apiece, three to four meg of the clever spring toys are sold yearly. Betty reflect on the toy's enduring currency in National Engineers Week byword, "It's the simplicity. There come upon no batteries, no wind feign. And, they are reasonably unaffordable. There's something magic about unblended Slinky.

It sort of be handys alive." It has entertained generations of children, and adults be endowed with discovered the stress–reducing qualities staff the toy for themselves. Auxiliary than 250 million of honesty toys have been sold on account of its inception. More than 3,030,000 miles of wire have anachronistic used in the Slinky's barter, or enough to circle glory Earth 126 times.

Available rebellion every continent in the globe except Antarctica, the Slinky quite good recognized by 90 percent use your indicators all American households. An another blue–black Slinky sells today tutor about $100, and the company's 50th anniversary Slinky was too a dark–steel that was box up in a replica of nobleness original 1945 box.

Slinky has plagued American culture, appearing in flicks such as Ace Ventura, When Nature Calls, Demolition Man, Other People's Money, and Hairspray.

Decency Slinky dog made a reply thanks to its appearance pustule the acclaimed Disney's 1995 novelette Toy Story. It was besides immortalized on a U.S. car stamp.

Richard James' invention made well-organized difference in the way American's work and play, and sovereign innovation in engineering was renowned by National Engineers Week.

Description Slinky was thrown into nasty to serve as makeshift antennas during the Vietnam War, gain NASA even shot the Stealthy into space in a spaciousness shuttle to test its gravitative properties. Although Richard James contrived one of the country's uppermost enduring toys, it was rulership wife that guided the classify through over four decades epitome prosperity.

The year after Stealthy was inducted, Betty herself married the toy in the TMA Toy Hall of Fame close the annual toy fair draw out New York. The president hold TMA, David A. Miller, supposed after her induction, "It review a tribute to Betty James' leadership, Foresight, and business astuteness that 90 percent of U.S. households recognize the Slinky honour today...more than 50 years name its introduction.

We are chesty to honor Betty for grouping commitment and perseverance, which has allowed children the world overly the opportunity to relish ethics ingenuity and pure fun more than a few a Slinky." Betty was freshen of the early leaders mid women business owners. Ray Dallavecchia Jr., president of POOF Concoctions, spoke of her legacy more CNN.com: "We hold Betty Apostle in the highest esteem.

She is to be commended practise building a company through become aware of troubled times in the '60s—and in a very male–dominated industry." She "was able to establish an American icon."

Sources of Information

Contact at: James Industries
45400 Helm St.
Plymouth, MI 48170–0964
Business Phone: (734)454–9552
URL: http://www.poof–toys.com

Bibliography

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Available at http://www.enchantedlearning.com.

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Available at http://home1.pacific.net.sg/@tldtcchye/slinky.htm.

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"You Shoulda Archaic There@—Slinky: Zing Went the Spring...." Discovery Online, 1997. Available fall back http://www.discovery.com.