Frisbee is a recreational sport played by all ages, in
Singapore and worldwide. A simple plastic disc provides hours of fun with its
simple yet exciting gameplay. A common question is "How did the Frisbee get its name?" or "Where did the Frisbee get its name from?", as one may wonder about the history of the Frisbee and
how it was created.
Two folk tales depict the origins of the Frisbee. The first involves
the Frisbee Pie Company, which opened its doors in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1871.
With its pies being sold in colleges in New England, many students would eat
pies from that company and it gained much popularity. After eating the pies,
students discovered they could throw the empty pie tins to each other after
eating the pies. Providing endless hours of fun, they named it ‘Frisbee’ after
the pie company that they purchased the pies from.
Another convincing tale depicts the beginnings of the name ‘Frisbee’.
Elihu Frisbie, an undergraduate from Yale University, was said to have inspired
the naming of the Frisbee. Legend has it that he took a collection plate from
the chapel and threw it all over school, thus establishing himself as the
creator of the first flying disc.
In spite of the existence of these two folktales, it was
recorded that the first flying disc toy was invented and manufactured by Walter
Frederick Morrison. Named after a racehorse that won the Triple Crown, “Whirlo-Way”
was designed in 1946. With several improvements to the original prototype and
after undergoing many name changes, it was finally named as Pluto Platter, in a
bid to capitalize on America’s fascination in UFOs. A patent was granted to
Morrison and the toy company that is synonymous with fun, Wham-O, was given the
marketing rights to Morrison’s invention. Upon realizing that college students
were still calling it as Frisbee, Wham-O decided to rename it as that.
Fast forward to today, the popularity of Frisbees has soared.
Professional competitions are organized around this simple flying disc and
different games have evolved from it, ranging from Ultimate Frisbee to Frisbee
Golf.
