An accident became an invention that sold over 250 million.

This is really intesting! Apparently many of the great inventions created down through the years have come into being totally by accident. Quite amazing really.

Not only the Slinky, but Silly Putty was also created by accident. It goes to show you that you need to keep your eyes open, because that “big break” that you’ve been hoping for may not be something that you planned on. It may be an opportunity that comes by chance, or accident, or even by “imperfect action”

Giovanna, thanks for this story. I’m always on the lookout for interesting real-life stories like these and your site is a treasure trove of them!

Hi Gio .. I remember we had one at home & as kids spent hours watching it come down the stairs!! Simple pleasures fill simple minds & kids are often just as entertained by the box as the sophisticated product …. the Slinky was just a really simple fun product. I’ve just bought my brother a new game .. invented by someone here in Eastbourne .. it’ll be interesting to see how it develops: it’s a very simple word game ..

Thanks for the inspiration of the toolmaker & his wife .. Hilary

That’s interesting - just stumbling over something like that!

I always assumed the Slinky was named after it’s slinking movement, which *does* share its root with the Swedish verb ’slinka’ of the same meaning. Now I’m curious as to how they chose the name and where they got it from. The word ’slinky’ in itself means nothing in Swedish (adjectives never end with a y) and the closest I can even think of, ’slinkig’, today almost exclusively used in the meaning of a ’slinky dress’. There’s also the older noun ’slinka’, which is a woman of low moral character… probably not the words they picked from!

Hi Giovanna,
I love that story - it speaks to what IS possible, if we do look at the world around us as a place of much possibility. And fitting with your theme, it doesn’t have to be perfect, we just need to take some action! And I love that thought. Imperfect action wins! And imperfect action is something we should all make sure we’re doing - thanks so much for sharing this story Giovanna!

Great story. Antibiotics happen the same way. Oops I left the mold overnight and it happened to kill the bacteria. This is a perfect example on why action is important, even imperfect action! I am hoping one of my accidents comes to fruition soon.

I didn’t know the history behind the Slinky, but as a child I had hours of fun with mine! Any action certainly is better than inaction…I have to agree. Thanks for sharing this story - I love to hear real stories.

Thanks for sharing - I’ve heard about the history of the Slinky before, but I like the way you framed it here. Very inspiring.

Hi Giovanna

It’s wonderful all these accidental successes. I always think of the post-it. That was supposed to be a piece of paper where the whole thing stuck, but something was wrong with the glue and only the top part worked…and, presto, the ubiquetous post-it!

Juliet