As cats are always happy to demonstrate, the simplest container or bit of string or laser light can bring hours of frenzied enjoyment. Now that we are two weeks into a new year, I must admit that I find my enthusiasm for simple pleasures increasing. And what could be simpler than chasing a frisbee? Notice I specified “chasing,” not “catching.” But I digress.
In case you haven’t thought much about tossing frisbees lately, a frisbee is a plastic, oval shaped disc that can be tossed. A flick of the thrower’s wrist sends the disc spiraling towards a person, or a dog, who attempts to catch it. This simple activity is why the frisbee has outsold every toy except the oldest historical toy — the ball. Balls have been around for over 3,000 years. The official frisbee has been around since 1957, but the first recorded use of “flying ovals” was in 1871.
The First Frisbie
That’s not a typo in the heading. The first Frisbee was actually called a Frisbie after the Frisbie Pie Company. According to this origin story, William Frisbie opened the Frisbie Pie Company in Bridgeport CT in 1871 to sell pies. Nearby colleges, particularly Yale, were among his customers. The students enjoyed the pies, and after eating the pies, they enjoyed tossing the empty pie tins to each other. When a student let go of the pie tin, he yelled, “Frisbie.” If the origin story ended here, throwing Frisbees might have never become a national pastime.
From Popcorn Lids to Cake Tins: The Prototype
In 1937 Walter Frederick Morrison, a 17-year-old high school student, spent Thanksgiving with his girlfriend’s family. After the meal, Lucille introduced her boyfriend to a family game called “flipping.” Players tossed the lids from tubs of popcorn. The lids could glide in a flat, curved, or boomerang trajectory. Unfortunately, the lids didn’t hold their shape, and once the lid was dented, it didn’t fly very well. Undaunted, Walter replaced the popcorn lids with cake pans.
One day, Walter and Lucille took their cake pans to the Santa Monica beach. After a few games, someone approached them and asked if they would sell the cake pan for 25 cents. A pan only cost a nickel. Walter quickly realized he had a good business opportunity, and began selling Flying Cake Pans for a quarter each.
Frisbees by WHAM-O
In 1955 Walter sold his invention, now called the Pluto Platter to Wham-O, and on January 23, 1957, the same year the hula hoop was invented, Wham-O produced the first “modern” Frisbees. This month marks the Frisbee’s 69th birthday. You don’t see hula hoops much any more, but frisbees are everywhere.
Wham-O released their new toy, called the Frisbee Disk in 1958. Company designer Ed Headlock made a few improvements by adding so-called rings to the surface to stabilize flight. Wham-O marketed frisbee playing as a new sport. More games using frisbees were soon invented, including one of the most popular games: Frisbee Golf. Players throw the frisbee at a target from a teeing area. The course has up to ten holes. The game is so popular there is an International Disc Golf Association.
Just as popular is Ultimate Frisbee, called Ultimate because the name Frisbee is still under copyright with Wham-O. Ultimate is a non-contact international team sport governed by the World Flying Disk Federation. The sport is played in 103 countries and was under consideration for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. In 2022, Ultimate was removed from consideration for the 2028 Olympic Games.
Tossing frisbees has become like throwing a football in the backyard after Thanksgiving dinner or shooting hoops by the garage: an enjoyable pastime overshadowed by professional sports.
The frisbee was part of the first class inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1998. Other members of the inaugural class were the Barbie doll, Erector Set, Teddy Bear, Hula Hoop, Crayola Crayons, Etch-A-Sketch, Monopoly, Tinkertoy, Play-Doh, Marbles, and Legos.
I started this blog thinking about “simple pleasures.” Turns out frisbees aren’t as simple as I thought. There’s a definite skill set involved, and no-doubt very focused players. But the image of tossing a plastic disk to another person for no reason except enjoyment still stirs my imagination.
Why I’m Still Blogging
For those of you who enjoy statistics, this is my 16th year of blogging and my 535th blog. I enjoy writing blogs, because when I’m in the middle of a writing project, putting together a blog gives me a different focus and a sense of completion. This year’s post will continue my whimsical investigations inspired by my research, travels, and items that simply catch my eye, like frisbees, for example.
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The Life & Times of Sarah Good, Accused Witch
Now Available as an Audiobook Narrated by Christa Lewis
Illustrations & A Few Sources
Cat in a Box by Lucus; Russell Terrior by Hynek Moravec; Frisbie Pie Tin by Doug Coldwell; Velina Plays Frisbee at the Beach by Velinassecretsnoflake; Wham-O Company Logo by dnh52; Wham-O Frisbee, Public Domain; Disk Golf Scottish Open 2007 by Conor Lawless; Ultimate Player Catching Frisbee by BecAM12; Frisbee Spielen in Meer by Sobot by Arquus. “50 Years Later, Frisbee Still Flying High.” The Virginian-Pilot. May 27, 2007. Troy Brownfield. “The Surprisingly Complicated History of the Frisbee.” The Saturday Evening Post. Sept. 10, 2021.