I'm not sure whether to say that the business world–not to mention kids everywhere–lost a giant of an inventor or a giant of a marketer last week, when the man responsible in part for the Frisbee, Silly String, and Hula Hoop died at the age of 82.


Richard Knerr, the cofounder of toy company Wham-O, died on Monday, at his home in California, of complications from a stroke.
The real genius of Knerr and his partner Arthur Melin seems to have been their ability to recognize a good idea when they saw one. But, at the same time, they knew how to market.
Along the way, Wham-O developed toys that defined the era. And in doing so, Wham-O toys were among the best to expose the chasm between kids and adults of the 1970s.
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The Frisbee, Hula Hoop, and Superball: Thanks Richard Knerr, and RIP


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On HuffPo: The Story of the Guy Who Marketed the Frisbee, Silly String, and Superball

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Ann Handley

Ann Handley is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author who recently published Everybody Writes 2. She speaks worldwide about how businesses can escape marketing mediocrity to ignite tangible results. IBM named her one of the 7 people shaping modern marketing. Ann is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, a LinkedIn Influencer, a keynote speaker, mom, dog person, and writer.