Slip n' Slide - Flash Back Friday

Back in 1961, one of the geniuses over at Wham-O! had the very simple but effective idea to lay a piece of plastic on the ground, wet it down, run, and then throw their body down the newly made slide.  Genius.  Pure Genius. 
Although, in other news, parents and teens should NOT use this product.  From Wikipedia: “Both the manufacturer and the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommend that only children use the toy due to the risk of back and neck injuries when teenagers and adults use it. Injuries occur because people heavier or taller than children might stop suddenly when diving onto the toy. Between 1973 and 1991, seven adults and one teenager reported injuries suffered while using Slip ‘N Slides including neck injuries and fractures, quadriplegia, and paraplegia” Yikes.

With that in mind, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.  Let watching these idiots an their homemade slides be enough:


And this one made of wrestling mats:




And file this one under “Dude, your cell phone is ringing and I think it’s your agent.” The Texas Rangers love to Slip n’ Slide too!




I spent way too much time watching You Tube Slip n’ Slide videos this morning and a couple of things that I have learned:
a) I can’t show most of them because adults are using “Mommy and Daddy words” as they are called in my house.
b) You can’t make a home made Slip n’ Slide video without putting music with it.  Wipeout seems to be a popular tune to use.
c) People will make Slip n’ Slides out of just about anything.
d) Someone always tries to stand up and slide and it never works out well.

So in the interest of safety, these are a kids’ toy so enjoy them vicariously through your children!  They are NOT for adult use.  Recreating one’s youth usually equals a trip to the emergency room in this case. 

Before you go off to enjoy the weekend, here’s an old commercial for Slip n’ Slide from Wham-o!:


And here’s another for the unfortunately named “Wet Banana” a Slip n’ Slide imitator:



Slip n’s Slides are still available for your kids’ enjoyment today, check them out here. Enjoy your long weekend!

–Laura McMullan