The Slinky aka Slinky Dink: A toy that, as a child, held such potential for fun. This funny metal (they may be plastic now) worm-like toy brought excitement to us all. My siblings and I would crowd together at the top of the stairs to hold races or contests to see just who had the best touch for making the Slinky go the farthest. And as we set the thing off on its downward journey, the sound of rings of metal stacking up on each other was pure delight!

If you are anything like us though, our excitement quickly faded. It seemed that after a few runs, the slinky dink was out of commission. I’m certain it wasn’t that we became over zealous upon sending the metal worm down the stairs – watching it flip and fly as it went – landing in a tangled mess at the bottom. It also couldn’t have been the stretching of the slinky across the room that made it perform less spectacularly. No. We were certain the toy was just not that good.

I’ve tried the Slinky Dink again as an adult and think they must’ve fixed the problem – whatever it was. It seems to work fine now.