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Paddle ball
Paddle ball is a one-person game played with a paddle and an attached ball. Using the flat paddle with the small rubber ball attached at the center via an elastic string, the player tries to hit the ball with the paddle in succession as many times as possible.
The paddle (sometimes called a bolo bat) is similar in size and shape to a table tennis racket. It is usually made from either wood or plastic.
Created and patented (U.S. patent 1,529,600) by William R. Lind in the 1920s, the paddle ball was one of several recreational products to follow the invention of soft rubber.
In 1937, the Fli-Back Company was founded in High Point, North Carolina with the paddle-ball as their main product. The paddle logo depicted a cowboy playing paddle ball while riding a bucking bronco. In that year, the toy was featured in Newsweek. This first successful mass-marketing of the toy allowed the company to diversify into other toys, including the yo-yo and spinning tops.
In the 1950s, Duncan Toys Company manufactured the "Hi-Li Paddle Ball Toy" that sold millions of units. The paddle reads “Duncan’s Official Hi-Li, Reg. U.S. Pat. Off., Champion No. 99.”
In 1972, the Ohio Art Company, the makers of the popular Etch-A-Sketch, purchased the Fli-Back Company Archived 2023-02-23 at the Wayback Machine. They continued to make Fli-Back paddle ball games in High Point until 1983.
In 2000, Yomega received a trademark for "Extreme 180° APB", their paddle ball featuring adjustable cord lengths and ball types.
Paddle balls have been depicted in several motion pictures. In an early demonstration of 3-D effects, the carnival barker in House of Wax is shown doing tricks with a paddle ball to gain the attention of potential customers.
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Paddle ball AI simulator
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Paddle ball
Paddle ball is a one-person game played with a paddle and an attached ball. Using the flat paddle with the small rubber ball attached at the center via an elastic string, the player tries to hit the ball with the paddle in succession as many times as possible.
The paddle (sometimes called a bolo bat) is similar in size and shape to a table tennis racket. It is usually made from either wood or plastic.
Created and patented (U.S. patent 1,529,600) by William R. Lind in the 1920s, the paddle ball was one of several recreational products to follow the invention of soft rubber.
In 1937, the Fli-Back Company was founded in High Point, North Carolina with the paddle-ball as their main product. The paddle logo depicted a cowboy playing paddle ball while riding a bucking bronco. In that year, the toy was featured in Newsweek. This first successful mass-marketing of the toy allowed the company to diversify into other toys, including the yo-yo and spinning tops.
In the 1950s, Duncan Toys Company manufactured the "Hi-Li Paddle Ball Toy" that sold millions of units. The paddle reads “Duncan’s Official Hi-Li, Reg. U.S. Pat. Off., Champion No. 99.”
In 1972, the Ohio Art Company, the makers of the popular Etch-A-Sketch, purchased the Fli-Back Company Archived 2023-02-23 at the Wayback Machine. They continued to make Fli-Back paddle ball games in High Point until 1983.
In 2000, Yomega received a trademark for "Extreme 180° APB", their paddle ball featuring adjustable cord lengths and ball types.
Paddle balls have been depicted in several motion pictures. In an early demonstration of 3-D effects, the carnival barker in House of Wax is shown doing tricks with a paddle ball to gain the attention of potential customers.