Frisbees the Near-Ubiquitous Flying Discs

¶ … Frisbees

The near-ubiquitous flying discs known as "Frisbees" have a colorful and interesting history that many people may not know. Enjoyed by millions of fans today, the Frisbee has become a mainstay on college campuses, concert events and has even been transformed into a popular sport, "Frisbee golf" with thousands of courses across the country as well as "Frisbee Football." In reality, though, the origins of the Frisbee date back to the 1870s when the Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, began to use thin round metal plates for their pies (Freeth, 2009). Over time, these metal plates became popular with college students at Yale University who enjoyed throwing them through the air because they had a certain aerodynamic lift as a result of their shape (Freeth, 2009). According to Freeth, "In 1948, a plastic disc based on the pie plate shape and christened the 'Flying Saucer' was developed by two Air Force veterans, Fred Morrison and Warren Franscioni, in San Luis Obispo, California" (p. 106).

The "Flying Saucer" brand was purchased by Wham-O Toys in nearby San Gabriel, California in 1957 and first renamed the "Pluto Platter" and then "Frisbee" (Freeth, 2009). The change of name was related to the original term for the discs which was used by college students. In this regard, West (1996) reports that "To warn unwary bystanders, Yale students had called out 'Frisbie!' when flinging the pans" (p. 276). The Frisbee brand was subsequently purchased by Mattel Toys in 1994 and has sold over 100 million units (Freeth). Over the years, the brand "Frisbee," like Kleenex, Coke and Xerox, has become a generic term for any plastic flying disc (Fensch, 1995).

The impact of the Frisbee on American culture has been profound and pervasive. According to West (1996), "They have been tossed and sailed on beaches, in fields, down streets, across ponds, not to mention in houses and shopping malls. They have been adapted to sports -- Frisbee Golf and Frisbee Football-- with their own rules, fields of play, and tournaments" (p. 276).

Indeed, Frisbee Golf aficionados take their game very seriously, and many carry different sized discs in a "golf bag" just like their traditional golfing counterparts and use many of the same invectives when they miss their shots (pers. obs.). Likewise, Frisbee throwers compete with each other for top ratings in various categories. For instance, West reports that, "As with the games Monopoly and Scrabble, careful records are kept of outstanding (and strange) Frisbee achievements: greatest distance thrown (623.5 feet), maximum time aloft (16.72 seconds), and longest distance thrown by two persons during twenty-four hours (362.4 miles)" (p. 276).