Posted On: March 8, 2010
Frisbee Inventor, Walter Frederick Morrison, Dies At Age 90
Earlier this month, Walter Frederick Morrison, the inventor of the modern-day Frisbee passed away at the age of 90. The Frisbee has had an interesting history and did not always consist of the same sleek, plastic, far flying device as it does today. Morrison's earliest versions of the Frisbee consisted of a popcorn lid and later a cake pan tossed back and forth between friends in 1937.
After learning about aeronautics as a fighter pilot in World War II and then becoming a carpenter, Morrison took a more aerodynamic route and designed the plastic molded Pluto Platter. The Pluto Platter flew further and more accurately than previous models due to its lighter construction and aerodynamic design. Wham-O purchased the production and manufacturing rights to Morrison's Pluto Platter in 1957, thereafter renaming it Frisbee.
The company's owner barrowed that name from college students who had been tossing empty Frisbie Pie Co. pie tins in the same manner as a Pluto Platter. The name Frisbee was trademarked with the alternate spelling to avoid trademark infringement lawsuits , and the device was also patented. Finally, Wham-O began manufacturing and marketing Frisbees, which were extremely popular due to the national fascination with flying saucers and UFOs. Morrison's story is a great example of how one person's idea can emerge into one of the world's most popular toys. Today, people all across the world enjoy the flying disc, no matter whether it is through a tossing it back and forth or through a game of Ultimate Frisbee or Frisbee Golf.
