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On January 23, 1957, giant whirling machines that operated at the Wham-O Toy company would produce the very first batch of plastic, aerodynamically made figures that appeared like plates. This was the first iteration of the Wham-O’s version of the ‘Flying Saucer’ and also marketed by it’s inventor as the ‘Pluto Platter’ that would later be widely known as the Frisbee!

The name of this toy had been in development in some shape or form for over 70 years by the time Wham-O perfected what everyone throws around today at parks and beaches.

The frisbee story begins in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the home of William Frisbie and his Frisbie pie company in 1871. The Pie shop was rather successful and students there would take the metal empty pie tins and toss them to each other. The shape of the pie tin made them somewhat aerodynamic and able to glide. The kids would yell the name of the pie place where they got the tins ‘Frisbie!’ before throwing them. This trend would continue all the way until Wham-O began selling their Pluto Platters across the United States.

The company realized that these college students were referring to the Pluto Platters as ‘Frisbies’ given their likeness to the tins from years ago. Morrison preferred the name over it’s current one and made the change immediately. The company went on to make other trendy toys such as the hula-hoop, and super ball. By their fiftieth anniversary, the company had sold over 200 million units worldwide.