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Frisbee soars into 50th anniversary

Chicago Sun-Times
Febuary 23, 2007

Forget buzzwords like electronic, nano, plug-in and wireless. Frisbee, the plastic flying disc with no bells and whistles, still translates to fun.

The international icon celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and I had the opportunity to speak with the inventor, Walter Frederick "Fred" Morrison. Well, co-inventor, as Morrison refuses to steal attention away from his late wife, Lucile.

Morrison came up with the idea while he and Lucile, who at the time was his girlfriend, were playing a game of catch with a popcorn lid at a Thanksgiving party. The two were sailing the lid back and forth to each other.

"I always was involved with sports and wanted to throw things," Morrison said.

He and Lucile spent 20 years improving and demonstrating the product at fairs and other outlets. That is, in between marrying, having children and Morrison going off to war.

According to Phil Kennedy, Frisbee aficionado and co-author of Flat Flip Flies Straight! True Origins of the Frisbee (Wormhole Publishers; $29.95), the idea went from popcorn lid in '37, to sailing cake pans on the beach, to an entrepreneurial venture in '48, to the first plastic disc known as Pluto Platter in 1955 to becoming the Frisbee, one of the hottest items to fly out of Wham- O's doors in 1958.

Kennedy co-authored the book with Morrison in 2006. The book was dedicated to Lucile Morrison, who died in 1987.

On Jan. 23, 1957, his 37th birthday, Morrison met with executives at Wham-O. The company had seen the Pluto Platter and had expressed interest. Wham-O and Morrison signed a deal, but the timing was a hair off.

"We were initiators of launching fad items," said Dave Waisblum, Frisbee's products manager at Wham-O.

At the time Morrison met with Wham-O, the company was set to launch the Hula Hoop. Morrison's Pluto Platter would take a back seat to the Hula Hoop. In fact, Walter and Lucile would wind up demonstrating how to use the Hula Hoop.

A year later Wham-O introduced the Morrisons' flying disc under the new name -- Frisbee.

The name has caused some confusion over the product's origin and all parties would like to set the record straight.

"The idea for the Frisbee did not come from tossing about Frisbie pie tins," said Kennedy, referring the the Connecticut-based bakery.

Waisblum believes the confusion probably sprung from the fact Richard Nair, one of the company's marketing team members, might have come up the name when he saw some kids playing catch with Frisbie pie tins.

"It was good marketing strategy to use a branded name people already identified with," said Waisblum.

Morrison's reaction to the name change: "He spelled it wrong."

Spelled wrong or not, Frisbee became an instant hit and remains a household name.

The unisex, ageless and durable toy is like no other. One is just as likely to see a bikini-clad girl on the beach playing Frisbee as a kid in the park or a group of guys, not to mention dog owners playing catch with their pets.

Wham-O has introduced a commemorative line that includes the 50th Anniversary Frisbee Gift Set, which includes a gold-colored replica of the inventor's original Pluto Platter model. The set is limited to a 2007 production.

There will be other single-product releases throughout the year.

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