Do you find yourself trying to find something new to entertain yourself each day, even hour by hour? Here’s something I stumbled upon that was oddly captivating for some reason. Slinky tricks.
A Slinky is a popular toy made from a helical (spiral) spring, originally metal but also available in plastic. It was invented in 1943 by American naval engineer Richard T. James, who initially sought to create a device that could stabilize sensitive equipment on ships. An accidental observation during his experiments led to the creation of the “walking” spring that captivated local children.
The Slinky is known for its ability to perform various tricks, such as “walking” down a flight of stairs, where it stretches and reforms itself using gravity and its own momentum. It can also appear to levitate briefly when dropped. The toy was first successfully demonstrated and sold at Gimbels department store in Philadelphia in November 1945. Richard James’s wife, Betty James, named the toy “Slinky” after finding the word in a dictionary. The toy’s enduring appeal is attributed to its simplicity.
Slinky Josh’s performances include a variety of moves that flow seamlessly, often set to intricate music like Shpongle’s “Dr. Vinkelstein Says,” enhancing the artistic and mesmerizing effect. These tricks require precise hand coordination, control of the slinky coils, timing, and rhythmic movement, elevating Slinky manipulation into a performance art form.
If you’re looking to learn such epic slinky tricks, detailed tutorial videos and courses are available that progressively teach fundamental tricks (like The Basic Bounce or Energy Beam) before advancing to complex moves like continuous bounces, flips, and multi-slinky juggling. Practicing these basics builds the foundation necessary to pull off the impressive routines seen in epic performances.
Thus, “And Now for Something Completely Different: Epic Slinky Tricks” refers to a collection of highly skilled, choreographed, and visually captivating slinky manipulation performances that transform a simple toy into a platform for artistic expression and technical impressiveness.