Friday, January 23, 2015

A bird? a plane? a flying saucer?

This Day in History: January 23, 1957

First "Frisbee" was really Pie Pans
from the CT Frisbie Pie Bakery!
Here is a rare original! From Mike Mozart's
Rare toy collection!

It's not a bird. It's not a plane. It is a disc, but not a flying saucer.

Alien? Only in the sense of being a strange new invention.

What is it? A pie tin! Well, it started out that way anyway. It is a Frisbie Pie's pie tin turned Frisbee's toy!

At least that is one story. For we all know there is often more than one story behind the story and more than one story to the original version.

There is always a history behind any invention and with that history frequently comes debate as to who invented it first. But one thing for sure, on this day...

Wham-O produces first Frisbees!

The Frisbie Pie Company pie tin to Frisbee story is really pretty cool. I doubt when William Russell Frisbie started making pies in 1871 that he ever thought the tin plates would become more famous that his delicious pies! Of course, it isn't definitive as to who actually baked the pies - William Frisbie himself, his sister or both using his wife's recipe. Regardless of the baker, the pies were scrumptious and people lined up to buy one at his bakery.

What about the tins though? How did they transition from pie to toy?
Ever since the invention of the tin plate I bet some child somewhere sailed it through the air - with and without the pie in tact! Story goes in Bridgeport, Connecticut where the bakery was located nearby neighborhood kids, as well as college students, would collect empty pie tins. They would toss them around watching as they sped through the air, yelling "Frisbie!" as they let go. Whose went the highest? Whose went the lowest? Whose went the farthest? It was a game. It was fun. It occupied the time. Hopefully no one got hurt for I can imagine being hit in the head with a tin plate would not feel very good.

Frisbee en.wikipedia.org

From the first flight of the Frisbie Pie tin to a plastic version to the Pluto Platter to this day in history and Wham-O's first batch of aerodynamic discs, the story is quite interesting. Wham-O Corporation's pie plate idea was also out of plastic with the official name being coined “Frisbee” in 1957, and the pie factory itself closed its doors on Kossuth Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1958. But, it doesn't stop there. There is ultimate Frisbee and even Frisbee Golf, also known as Frolf!

One important question remains. There has been discussion about the origin and evolution of the Frisbee but who is the most natural Frisbee player? In other words, who is as naturally talented as anyone when it comes to catching a Frisbee? This could just possibly be the ultimate Frisbee player!

Need I say more?