National Toy Hall of Fame Online Collections

Frisbee Disc Classic

frisbee

2011

Frisbee and its antecedents--paint-can lids, pie tins, Morrison's Flying Saucer, and Pluto Platters--have been sailing across college campuses, municipal parks, and beaches for decades. Wham-O's Frisbee began as a collaboration between William Frederick Morrison of Southern California and two officials of a small company which produced sling shots. Using Morrison's design, Wham-O produced its first Pluto Platter in 1957. The name changed to "Frisbee" when Samuel Kerr of Wham-O heard ivy leaguers warn "Frisbee" before letting their platters fly. Although "trick" or specialty Frisbees have appeared in years hence, the basic toy has remained unchanged. Wham-O has produced and sold more than 100 million Frisbees in 40 years. The flying disc continues as an icon of American youth culture.

ManufacturerWham-O, Inc.
Materialplastic | cardboard
OriginChina
Object ID111.4954
Credit LineGift of Laura J. Sadowski

All artifact images, interpretive information, and website text
© The Strong.

Creative Commons LicenseOnline Collections by The Strong is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.