Inventor Richard T. James included this drawing in his patent application for the “Slinky.” His patent was granted on January 28, 1947.
James stated that the purpose of his invention was to “provide a helical spring toy which will transfer its turns from one end to the other in an entertaining manner when it is bent into general semi-circular form and the ends are moved up and down,” and “to provide a helical spring toy which will walk on an amusement platform such as an inclined plane or set of steps from a starting point to successive lower landing points without application of external force beyond the starting force and the action of gravity.”
