Inspired by watching his son and his friends sliding on wet concrete, Robert Carrier used his job as an upholsterer to obtain a long strip of naugahyde, sewed a tube to pass a hose through it, and punctured the tube at various intervals along the side to allow water to spurt out. Carrier sold his invention to Wham-O, who introduced it at the New York Toy Fair in 1961. By September of that year, more than 300K slides had been sold. Watch a classic Wham-O Slip 'N Slide TV commercial!
* Robert Carrier invented Slip 'N Slide and called it Aquatic Play Equipment.
* 1961: Wham-O introduced Slip ‘N Slide.
* 9M Slip 'N Slides were sold by Wham-O (1961-1992).
* By 2018: Wham-O has over 30 water slides, some with inflatable features, pools, and water splashes, including Super Slip 'n Slide, Slip 'n Splash, White Water Rapids, Fast Track Racers, Wet Banana, Slip 'n Slide Splash Tunnel Pirate Ship.
* Other Wham-O water hose toys include Aqua Jet and Water Wiggle.
* In 2020, its 60th year on the market, sales soared 180%, before they were sold-out!
* NBC will air Ultimate Slip ‘N Slide, based on Wham-O’s popular Slip 'N Slide, with participants going head to head navigating a series of obstacles in the Spring/Summer 2021. Critical Content, a leading independent nonfiction production studio, developed giant sets on 16 acres for the live-action TV show. Bobby Moynihan, host of Saturday Night Live, will host and there will be celebrity guests. Match-ups will take place in oversized chutes, jumps, and tunnels, including the Big Slipper, the show’s 65-foot-tall slide, with winners getting cash prizes and a chance to compete in a grand finale event. The unscripted show takes the spirit of the classic backyard slide and transforms it into a real-life water park full of gigantic slippery rides. The first of 10 episodes of Ultimate Slip ‘N Slide is scheduled to premiere on Sunday, August 8, on NBC, immediately following the closing ceremonies of the Tokyo Olympics.
2021 - Slip ‘N Slide 60th Anniversary (1961 intro)
2026 - Slip ‘N Slide 65th Anniversary (1961 intro)
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