Knerr

Richard Knerr the co-founder of the Wham-O toy company, died on Monday at the age of 82.

Richard Knerr: Toy Genius » Fanboy.com 2008

Knerr was behind both, as the cofounder of the Wham-O toy company.

Remember Them Well 2008

The Frisbee began at the beach, where Melin and Knerr saw a building inspector named Fred Morrison tossing around a flying disk he'd invented that he called the Pluto Platter.

Goodnight, Wham-O 2008

Founded as a mail-order slingshot business in 1948 by childhood buddies Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin, Wham-O ... well, soared in the mid-1950s, when the pair bumped into Walter Frederick Morrison, who was selling his flying disks in a California parking lot.

Ann Handley: The Frisbee, Hula Hoop, and Superball: Thanks Richard Knerr, and RIP 2008

As for the Hula Hoop, Knerr has said they got the idea for it after learning of a similar bamboo toy that was a hit with kids in Australia.

Goodnight, Wham-O 2008

The real genius of Knerr and Melin seems to have been their ability to recognize a good idea when they saw one.

Ann Handley: The Frisbee, Hula Hoop, and Superball: Thanks Richard Knerr, and RIP 2008

He was Richard (Rich) Knerr, cofounder of the company Wham-O, which marketed the cheap plastic ring -- it originally sold for 98 cents -- that became a huge craze practically overnight when it was introduced in 1958.

Goodnight, Wham-O 2008

Unfortunately, acquisition didn't spark ingenuity: In 1982 Knerr and Melin sold the business to Kransco Group for $12 million, which later sold it to Mattel.

Ann Handley: The Frisbee, Hula Hoop, and Superball: Thanks Richard Knerr, and RIP 2008

Knerr passed on at age 82 after suffering a stroke at his California home.

Goodnight, Wham-O 2008

Melin and Knerr started with slingshots and named their mail-order company after the sound a slingshot made when its projectile struck a target.

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