Betty M. James American businesswoman Date of Birth: 13.02.1918 Country: USA

1. Biography of Betty James
2. Early Life
3. Invention of the Slinky
4. James Industries
5. Betty's Leadership
6. Later Years and Legacy

Biography of Betty James

Betty James was an American entrepreneur who came up with the name for the Slinky toy, invented by her husband Richard T. James. After her husband left the family and the business, Betty managed James Industries, the company that began producing the toys in 1960.

Early Life

Betty Mattas, the only child in her family, was born on February 13, 1918, in Altoona, Pennsylvania. She completed her high school education at Altoona Area High School and became a student at Pennsylvania State University. However, she did not receive a degree as she dropped out of college when she married Richard James.

Invention of the Slinky

Her husband, an engineer, came up with the idea for the toy in 1943 while working at a shipbuilding company in Philadelphia. He saw a coiled spring walk from one end of a table to another and was inspired. The following year, Betty came up with the name "Slinky" after flipping through a dictionary and thinking it perfectly described the toy's graceful movements.

James Industries

The Jameses manufactured 400 Slinky toys and convinced the management of Gimbels, the oldest department store in Philadelphia, to display and sell them for Christmas in 1945. These first 400 units sold out within an hour and a half at a price of one dollar each. When toy sales declined after 15 years, Richard left his family and went to Bolivia to join a religious cult.

Betty's Leadership

At the age of 42, Betty had to take care of their six children and manage the company. In 1974, she learned of her husband's death. Betty led James Industries until 1998 when production was transferred to Poof Products in Plymouth, Michigan.

Later Years and Legacy

The introduction of the Slinky Dog, which became a character in the 1995 movie Toy Story, helped boost sales again, increasing annual revenue by 25 percent. By the time of Betty James's death in 2008, the cost of a Slinky ranged from $4 to $5, while the Slinky Dog sold for $20. Throughout her life, over 300 million Slinky toys in various variations were sold. In 2001, she was honored with induction into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. Betty James spent the rest of her life in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, where the headquarters of James Industries was located. She passed away from congestive heart failure on November 20, 2008, at the age of 90, in the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. She left behind six children, 16 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.