Mr Morrison used the 1950s' space-age craze to market the Pluto Platter The man who invented the Frisbee, one of the world's most popular toys, has died at his home in Utah aged 90. Walter Frederick Morrison conceived and developed his aerodynamic plastic disc in the 1950s, and hundreds of millions have been sold worldwide since. Frisbee historian Phil Kennedy said Mr Morrison and his future wife, Lu, got the idea from playing with a metal cake pan on the beach in California. He originally called his toy the Pluto Platter and sold it at local fairs. The platter's novel aerodynamic shape allowed it to hover briefly or travel surprisingly long distances, kept aloft by its rotation.
In pictures: Decades of Frisbee fun In 1957 Mr Morrison sold the rights to the California firm Wham-O, which discovered that youngsters were calling the toy a "Frisbie" after the name of a well-known pie. The company changed the spelling to avoid trademark infringement and the Frisbee was born. On the official Frisbee website, Wham-O paid tribute to Mr Morrison, who was known as Fred. "As Frisbee discs keep flying though the air, bringing smiles to faces, Fred's spirit lives on. Smooth flights, Fred," it read. Mr Morrison's son, Walt, told the Associated Press that his father had suffered from cancer, and that "old age had caught up" with him. How would you get through your youth without learning to throw a Frisbee?
Kay McIff, lawyer for Walter Frederick Morrison "He was a nice guy. He helped a lot of people. He was an entrepreneur. He was always looking for something to do," he added. Lawyer Kay McIff, who represented Mr Morrison in a royalties case, said: "That simple little toy has permeated every continent in every country. As many homes have Frisbees as any other device ever invented. "How would you get through your youth without learning to throw a Frisbee?" Mr Morrison, who died at his home in Monroe, on Tuesday, is survived by three children. Walt Morrison said the family planned to hold a memorial service on Saturday at the Cowboy Corral in Elsinore, Utah.
Bookmark with: Delicious
Digg
reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version
Walter Frederick Morrison in the 1950s, with his invention that he originally identified as the "Pluto Platter".
Inventor Walter Frederick Morrison has died of the age of 90. He was famous for being the inventor of the flying disc, more commonly identified as the frisbee. Kay McIff, a Utah House Representative and Morrison's son announced that he had died in the city of Monroe in Utah, United States. Morrison, whose son Walt said that "old age caught up" with him, had been suffering from cancer.

In the year 1957, he sold the rights to the product, which he called the "Pluto Platter", to California company Wham-O, who sold the product with this name. Then, the company noticed that consumers were colloquially calling the flying disc a "Frisbie", which is the name of a well known pie. Wham-O changed the name of the product to Frisbee to prevent copyright infringement. Over 200 million frisbees have now been sold around the world.

On the official Wham-O website, a statement was released which said: "As Frisbee discs keep flying though the air, bringing smiles to faces, Fred's spirit lives on. Smooth flights, Fred." The company continued to pay tribute to Fred, as he was called. "He was a nice guy. He helped a lot of people. He was an entrepreneur. He was always looking for something to do," Wham-O commented.

Kay McIff, a lawyer who represented Morrison in a court case involving royalties, said about the Frisbee: "That simple little toy has permeated every continent in every country, as many homes have Frisbees as any other device ever invented. How would you get through your youth without learning to throw a Frisbee?"