Wrist Rockets were available (and common) the whole time I was a kid. We used to kill carp with them.
The Wrist-Rocket slingshot was first introduced in 1954 by the Saunders Archery Co. of Columbus, Nebraska Saunders Archery Company. This model was the first mass-produced wrist-braced slingshot, designed to help shooters manage the high draw weights of heavy surgical rubber tubing by anchoring the device to the forearm with a wrist brace.
The
Wham-O Slingshot was invented in
1948 by
Richard Knerr and
Arthur “Spud” Melin, two University of Southern California classmates who were dissatisfied with their jobs and decided to start their own business
Wikipedia.
They began making slingshots in
Knerr’s family garage in South Pasadena, California. The slingshot was constructed from
ash wood and was designed to be a powerful, accurate device for target shooting and small game hunting
Wikipedia. Knerr and Melin promoted it by demonstrating their own slingshot skills, and the name
“Wham-O” was coined to mimic the sound of a projectile hitting a target.
Initially, the slingshot was sold through
mail-order advertising in men’s magazines like
Field & Stream,
Popular Mechanics, and
Popular Science. The company’s early products also included other sporting goods and even weapons such as blowguns and throwing darts, reflecting the founders’ interest in outdoor sports and hunting.
The Wham-O Slingshot was not just a novelty—it was adopted by shooting clubs and hunters, and it marked the beginning of what would become one of the most prolific toy companies in U.S. history, later famous for the Hula Hoop, Frisbee, and Super Ball.
