One of the men who helped make my childhood a kaleidoscope of sugary cereal, psychedelic Saturday morning cartoons and toys with names that were more fun than the toys themselves has taken his last ride on the cosmic Slide 'N Slide:
[Richard] Knerr, who started Wham-O in 1948 with his childhood friend Arthur "Spud" Melin, died Monday at Methodist Hospital after suffering a stroke earlier in the day at his Arcadia home, his wife Dorothy told the Los Angeles Times.
Knerr and Melin got their start in business peddling slingshots. They named their enterprise Wham-O after the sound a slingshot made when it hit its target.
They branched into other sporting goods, including boomerangs and crossbows, then added toys that often bore such playful names as the Superball, Slip 'N Slide and Silly String.
We should all take a ride on a Hippity Hop in his honor.
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