Slip ’N Slide is a children's

toy A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

invented by Robert Carrier and manufactured by

Wham-O Wham-O Inc. is an American toy company based in Carson, California, United States. It is known for creating and marketing many popular toys for nearly 70 years, including the Hula hoop, Frisbee, Slip 'N Slide, Super Ball, Trac-Ball, Silly Stri ...

. It was first sold in 1961. The main form is a plastic sheet and a method of wetting it; when the surface is wet it becomes very slippery, allowing the user to slide along it. Some versions also include an inflatable pool for the user to slide into, and spray tubes.

History

The creator was inspired by his son sliding on wet, painted concrete. He used his job as an

upholsterer Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English word ...

to obtain a long strip of

Naugahyde Naugahyde is an American brand of artificial leather. Naugahyde is a composite knit fabric backing and expanded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coating. It was developed by Byron A. Hunter, senior chemist at the United States Rubber Company, and is now ...

, sewed a tube to pass a hose into, and punctured the tube sporadically to allow water to spurt out. Carrier sold his invention to Wham-O where they replaced Naugahyde with plastic to reduce production costs. The toy is a long sheet of thin

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

, constructed with a heat-sealed tube running along one side. The tube can be connected to any

garden hose A garden hose, hosepipe, or simply hose is a flexible tube used to convey water. There are a number of common attachments available for the end of the hose, such as sprayers and sprinklers (which are used to concentrate water at one point or ...

and water goes in the tube and out through small holes, spraying onto the sliding surface where it becomes very slippery, enabling users to slide the length of the sheet and also has lubricant molded into the plastic that acts as a propellant. 30 million slides were sold in 2011. Beyond 2001, Wham-O and makers of similar competitive products later included various enhancements such as an inflatable pool at one end of the sliding surface, spray tubes on both sides and longer paths.

Safety

The

Consumer Product Safety Commission The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC, CPSC, or commission) is an independent agency of the United States government. The CPSC seeks to promote the safety of consumer products by addressing “unreasonable risks” of inj ...

(CPSC) and the manufacturer recommend that the use of the toy is only for children to avoid back and neck injuries when it is used by adults and teenagers. People older than children might stop suddenly when diving onto the toy due to the weight or height. Between 1973 and 1991, a 13-year-old and seven adults suffered neck injuries or

paralysis Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

while using Slip ’N Slides. In 1993, CPSC provided a recall notice along with Kransco, which owned Wham-O at the time, to warn users of the dangers; the product was not taken off the market completely but was recommended only for children.

References

External links

Wham-O, Inc.

Wham-O, Inc. Archived Press Releases.
{dead link, date=May 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes 1960s toys Products introduced in 1961 1970s toys 1980s toys Brands that became generic Toy recalls Physical activity and dexterity toys Wham-O brands