According to legend, the Frisbee (or, Flying Disc as it is named on some early patents,) originated in the 1920s when Yale students tossed pie pans—made by the Frisbie Pie Co. in Bridgeport, Connecticut—for fun, yelling “Frisbie!” in the same way golfers yell “Fore!” to warn of oncoming projectiles.
Decades later, in 1948, William Morrison carved a plastic disk that resembled the Frisbie pie tin. He called his invention “Lil’ Abner” and sold them at county fairs throughout the fifties. Enter Spud Melin and Rich Knerr in 1957, the dynamic duo of Wham-O slingshot and Hula Hoop fame, who licensed Morrison’s invention, renamed it, and then launched the legendary “Pluto Platter,” an instant sensation. A year later the name was changed to “Frisbee,” after the pie company that started it all.
In 1964, Ed Headrick, general manager and vice president of toy company Wham-O, introduced the newly-designed Professional Model. Headrick has often been called “The Father of Frisbee and Disc Golf,” and was given the nickname Steady Eddie for his calm composure and uncanny accuracy while making difficult throws. Wanting to stabilize the Frisbee’s flight, he developed and patented flight rings for the Professional model, now called Lines of Headrick. The Pro did it: the Frisbee was a toy no more!
Our Flying Disc design was developed from the actual patents and also features PatentWear’s original “Flying Dog” logo from 1995: a tribute to the Frisbie pie tin’s initial inspiration.
