Silly String is a long-time prank and party favorite. This non-toxic, colorful, string in a can is a favorite with both children and adults. Today there a number of different brands, and it is more generically known as aerosol string. Like many other things, it was invented by accident.
In the late 1960s and early ’70s, inventor Leonard A. Fish and chemist Robert P. Cox were working together to create an instant cast to protect broken limbs. Making a substance that would remain liquid until needed but then rapidly harden was one challenge. Finding a way to package and deliver the substance was another. The pair tested around 500 different nozzles for applying their instant cast. One of these nozzles shot a string 30 feet across the room.
The idea of aerosolized string seems to have entertained Fish and Cox to such an extent that they decided to market their invention as a toy rather than a medical device. After adjusting the formula to make it less sticky and more colorful, they arranged a meeting with the toy company Wham-O. Their sales pitch was a simple demonstration of the product. They covered the executive and the office with sprayed plastic string. The executive was not amused and told them to get out.
Later, one of the owners of Wham-O spotted a bit of string that had been over looked in the cleanup still stuck to a lamp. Only one day after being rejected, Fish and Cox received a telegram from the very same executive who had thrown them out. He requested 24 cans of their product for market testing. Two weeks later Fish and Cox signed a contract with Wham-O to bring Silly String to market. Suggested uses were squirting people, forming into shapes or animals, decorating your bike, or fun and decoration for parties.
While many people find Silly String amusing, others consider it a nuisance. Some cities have banned it or arrested people for spraying it. In 2004, Los Angeles passed an ordinance banning Silly String in Hollywood for the one day of Halloween. Anyone caught with the stuff risks a fine of $1,000 and up to six months in jail, more than the penalty for marijuana possession or bicycling while drunk. I think the love or hate comes down to a good sense of humor and whether or not you are the one who has to clean up the mess.
Crystal Kelly is a feature writer for Bizarre Bytes with those unusual facts that you only need to know for Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy or to stump your in-laws.
