Slinky, the original walking spring toy
Set it on the top step, give it a nudge and let it walk. Since 1945 the same coil has stretched, wiggled and slinked its way down staircases in more than 300 million homes — and it still makes that sound.
Or browse the shelf below ↓
- 1945first sold at Gimbels, Philadelphia
- 300M+Slinkys walked off shelves
- 2000National Toy Hall of Fame
- 24coils, dogs and games on this staircase
The top step favourites
Eight coils we would send down the stairs first.
How a Slinky walks downstairs
- 1
Top step
Stand the coil upright on the edge of the top stair, with a carpeted or wooden step below.
- 2
The tip
Lift the top few rings and lay them on the next step down. Let go.
- 3
The walk
Gravity pulls the leading end down; the trailing end follows. The coil flips end over end, one stair at a time.
- 4
The landing
On the floor it settles with a last slinkity shiver. Pick it up and carry it back to the top.
Where the walk began
A spring fell off a shelf in 1943. It didn't stop moving.
Richard James was a naval engineer working on springs that could steady delicate instruments at sea. One of the samples tumbled off his shelf and, instead of landing, it stepped — end over end, down a stack of books, onto a table, onto the floor. He took it home to Betty, who leafed through the dictionary and found the word for what it did: slinky.
In the holiday season of 1945 the Jameses set up a sloped board at Gimbels in Philadelphia and let the coil walk. Four hundred Slinkys were gone in ninety minutes. The jingle followed — “what walks down stairs, alone or in pairs” — and so did Slinky Dog, the Slinky that learned to wag.
Eighty years on, the coil is still the coil. The Classic is 2.75 inches of flat steel wire; the Jr. and Giant came later, then plastic, then rainbow, then a dachshund with a spring for a middle who went on to star in Toy Story. In 2000 Slinky was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Today Slinky is made and looked after by Just Play.
Coil fact: A Classic metal Slinky is wound from roughly 80 feet of flat wire — that is why it can stretch across a room and still spring back into a palm.
Read the whole walk down history →Heard on the stairs
Real words from families who sent a Slinky down their steps.
★★★★★
Original metal wire Slinky
The original Slinky! They move and sound just as I remember as a child. My young granddaughters (2 and 4yrs.) were delighted with this toy that can “walk” down stairs. This toy can be bent easily, so users need to treat them gently. (When bent, the spring is nearly impossible to fold back to its tight original form.
★★★★★
Perfect gift
I bought this Toy Story Slinky Dog for my 31 yr of son and it was an instant favorite. The toy looks just like Slinky Dog from the movie, which made it extra exciting for any Toy Story fan. The details are cute, and the quality feels sturdy enough to handle plenty of playtime. It’s easy to pull around, and the stretchy slinky middle moves just like you’d expect.
★★★★★
BEST SLINKY EVER
This is literally the most durable, lightweight and fun slinky. No matter if you have three and they get tangled together, you WILL get them separated. This is so much fun that our 5 yr old is obsessed and we keep 3 on hand. (We never know when they might get discontinued). He loves how they sound. The feeling on them slinking together. Best slinky ever and I will forever recommend
★★★★★
Great quality!
Bought as a gift for a nine-year-old. He loved it! Great quality for the price, too!
★★★★★
Christmas gift
Bought my nephew for Christmas and he loved him. Great price durable fun
★★★★★
Worked for me
This actually worked for us. Maybe we have stupid squirrels with no perseverance, but after putting it on, the squirrels gave up and for probably 3 months now have never attempted to climb the bird feeder pole again, even though they are regularly foraging in the yard and around the base of the feeder.
The original Slinky, in every size that walks
There is only one original Slinky, and every coil on this page is it. The Classic metal Slinky is the 2.75-inch spring toy that walks down stairs, makes the slinkity sound and fits in one palm. The Slinky Jr. is the 1.5-inch pocket version, sold singly or in a five-pack for party bags. The Giant metal Slinky is around 70 percent larger and takes taller steps, while the three-size set lines up the Jr., Classic and Giant together.
Plastic Slinky is lighter, softer and very forgiving with younger hands. Choose the 3.25-inch plastic classic, the neon Poof Slinky, the 5-inch Giant Rainbow Slinky, the four-colour Giant plastic pack or the Extreme Rainbow Slinky, a 9-inch coil that turns any table into a demonstration of waves and momentum.
Slinky Dog has his own aisle. The Toy Story Slinky Dog pull toy stretches from 5 to 14 inches on his leash; Slinky Dog Jr. is the toddler size; the wind-up scoots by itself; the plush goes to bed. The Retro Slinky Dog arrives in a 1950s-style box for collectors and grandparents.
Beyond the staircase there is the Slinky Challenge Game for four players, Slinky Brickz moulds for sand and snow forts, and Scram, Squirrel — a long Slinky that keeps squirrels off a bird feeder. Whether it is an Easter basket, a stocking, a classroom science lesson or a fidget toy for the desk, there is a Slinky sized for the step in front of you.
Who invented the Slinky?
Richard James, a mechanical engineer, discovered it in 1943 when a tension spring fell from a shelf and kept moving. His wife Betty named it, and the first Slinkys went on sale in Philadelphia in 1945.
How does a Slinky walk down stairs?
Lift the top rings onto the step below. Gravity pulls that end down while the rest of the coil follows, so the energy passes along the spring as a wave and it flips end over end, step after step.
Metal or plastic — which Slinky should I choose?
Metal is the original: heavier, louder and the best walker on stairs. Plastic is lighter, quieter, more colourful and better at surviving a drop, which is why many families start younger children on plastic.
What size is the original Slinky?
The Classic is 2.75 inches in diameter. Slinky Jr. is about 1.5 inches, the Giant metal Slinky about 3.5 inches, the Giant plastic coils about 5 inches and the Extreme Rainbow 9 inches tall.
How do I untangle a Slinky?
Find the end, hold the coil loosely and turn the tangled section the opposite way to the kink, one ring at a time. Never pull the two ends apart — that stretches the wire. Our guide walks through it step by step.
What age is Slinky for?
Metal and plastic Slinkys are recommended from 5 years. Slinky Dog pull toys and the plush start at 18 months, the wind-up at 3 years and the Slinky Challenge Game at 8.
The top step is waiting.
Pick a coil, pick a staircase, and let it walk.