It started with a spring falling off a desk.
In 1943, Richard T. James, an engineer who was out on a trial run of a ship for the United States Navy, discovered the Slinky when he knocked a spring off his desk. When the spring fell, James noticed it “walked” and found it fascinating.
He went home and told his wife, Betty James, “I think this could be a toy,” James’ daughter Rebekah James Morris told ABC News.
Morris said Betty James was not so sure at first, but helped him name the toy and found the word “Slinky.”
Getting people to understand the toy took some work.
“One of the problems was that when you look at a Slinky, it just sits there,” James’ son, Christopher James, told ABC News. “They felt that they needed to demonstrate it to show people what it did.”
In 1945, Christopher James said his parents were granted counter space at Gimbel’s Department Store in Philadelphia.
Fifty years later, the Slinky was featured in the Disney and Pixar movie “Toy Story” in the form of Slinky Dog. The character returned for each later entry in the franchise, most recently appearing in this year’s “Toy Story 5.”
Christopher James said his mother was “very proud of the fact that it was becoming one of the few toys that was made in America and invented, made and stayed in America.”
As America marks its 250th anniversary, Disney is holding a series of special events, including a live concert in Nashville, experiences at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort, and a two-hour primetime special on ABC.
The company-wide initiative, “Disney Celebrates America,” will also include a 24-hour multiplatform broadcast led by “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir that will take viewers across all 50 states beginning Friday, July 3 through Saturday, July 4.
The cross-platform broadcast will span ABC, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic, FX, Freeform, ABC News Live, ESPN, and ABC Owned Television Stations and affiliates. It will feature anchor Diane Sawyer, “Good Morning America” co-anchors Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan, “Nightline” co-anchors Juju Chang and Byron Pitts, “20/20” co-anchor Deborah Roberts and “Prime” and “WNT Sunday” anchor Linsey Davis.
Watch “Disney Celebrates America: The Pursuit of Happiness” from 8 to 10 p.m. on Monday, June 29, on ABC. The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News, Disney+, Hulu, National Geographic, FX, Freeform, ESPN and Pixar.
Read more from ABC News.
