“Everyone knows it’s Slinky”: 75 years of a classic toy
“Everyone knows it’s Slinky”: 75 years of a classic toy
Sales of toys have been up throughout the pandemic. People are buying lots of classics like Barbie dolls, board games — and another one that can practically jump off the shelf at you.
If you grew up in the ’60s, ’70s or ’80s you might remember this song:
Slinky’s been around for 75 years, and sales have been strong: There are more than 350 million of the metal, sometimes plastic toy out there.
During the pandemic, people are buying lots of tactile and manipulative toys, said analyst Chris Byrne.
“Especially for kids who are spending so much of the day in front of a flat screen, it actually is a little bit physical,” Byrne said.
And over the years, the toy has remained pretty affordable.
The brand itself has also been sold a bunch of times. This year, Slinky was bought by Just Play Products when Alex Brands shuttered.
Toy analyst Richard Gottlieb said, for Just Play, that purchase made sense because Slinky is gender neutral, is sold everywhere and has heavy brand nostalgia.
“You’re also buying a wonderful opportunity to use that brand to license it out to other companies to make additional Slinky products,” Gottlieb said.
Like T-shirts or a TV show … or just more Slinkys.
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