Koosh ball
 | |
| Type | Rubber balls, Toy weapons |
|---|---|
| Inventor | Scott H. Stillinger[1][2] |
| Company |
|
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1989–present |
| Materials | Rubber, foam, plastic |
| Official website | |
The Koosh ball is a toy ball made of rubber filaments (strings) attached to a soft rubber core. Its patent was granted in 1988[3] to Scott H. Stillinger.[1][2] The company later expanded their product line to include 50 other Koosh-related products, including keyrings, baseball sets, and yo-yos. The number of Koosh balls sold is estimated to be in the millions.
The ball consists of about 2,000 natural rubber filaments, and has been released in a variety of color combinations. A variation was the Koosh Kins line, of Koosh balls with cartoon faces and hands. Koosh Kins was made into a comic book mini-series by Archie Comics, where they kept their cartoon-like appearance.
Koosh balls are often used with QuickStart tennis exercises to help children develop motor skills.
Koosh balls are currently manufactured by Hasbro, and the brand has recently expanded into different product lines starting with Koosh Galaxy. The new line consists of toy blasters that fire foam balls similar to the original Nerf ball, and includes a cross-promotion with Angry Birds Star Wars.[4]
See also
- Nerf – Koosh's current sister brand under Hasbro.
References
- 1 2 "Generally spherical object with floppy filaments to promote sure capture US 4756529 A" (web). Google Patents. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
- 1 2 Townsend, Allie (2011-02-16). "All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys". TIME.com. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
- ↑ McCarthy, Erin. "12 Kooky Facts About Koosh Balls". MentalFloss.com. Retrieved 2016-08-06.
- ↑ "Hasbro Announces New Angry Birds Star Wars Product Line". GalacticHunter. 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2013-02-18.
External links
- Official site at Hasbro
- "Boom time for toys predicted as the Koosh ball arrives". Textline Multiple Source Collection (1981-1984) (January 30, 1989)
- "New toys not just for kids". The Plain Dealer (September 30, 1989)
- "Novelty rubber ball rises on list of top 20 toys". Houston Chronicle (October 28, 1989)
- "What a Koosh Job. Strange ball bounces along the trend path". Los Angeles Daily News (March 1, 1993)
- "OddzOn announces Koosh Vortex line expansions". Playthings (February 1, 1994)
- "Toymaker parlays Koosh Ball into entire line of tactile toys". The Pantagragh (Bloomington, Illinois) (June 17, 1995)
- "Firm selling 'WOW!' oddball toys generates profits". Cincinnati Post (June 17, 1995)
- Rimer, Sara. "Putting a Smile on Sober Science". The New York Times (May 13, 2004)
- Adams, Katie. "Ridiculous Ideas That Made People Millions". on Investopedia.com (May 11, 2009).