Chuck Foley, Co-Creator Of Twister, Dies At 82
One of the men responsible for getting people tied up in knots while they played Twister has died.
Charles "Chuck" Foley died earlier this month in St. Paul, Minn. He was 82.
Foley and his business partner Neil Rabens invented the game for Milton Bradley in 1966. The pair originally called it Pretzel, and it was Milton Bradley who came up with the name Twister.
On All Things Considered on Thursday, hosts Robert Siegel and Audie Cornish gave instructions on how to play the game, and reminded listeners that it was responsible for some very "awkward" moments.
Twister is now manufactured by Hasbro Inc., and the company says it remains a top seller.
But if your Twister-playing days are behind you, Foley invented another product that doesn't require you to get down on the floor: un-du, a liquid adhesive remover.
Foley's son Mark, president of Un-Du Products, told All Things Considered that his father "enjoyed creating products and items."
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Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
And today's last word in business is...
(SOUNDBITE OF TWISTER COMMERCIAL)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Right foot, blue.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Right foot, blue.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Left-hand, red.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Left-hand, red.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Left.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yellow.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Blue.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Green.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN AND WOMAN: (Singing) Yeah, Twister. You got to play Twister...
GREENE: Oh, those iconic - and also impossible instructions - came from Chuck Foley, the co-creator of Twister. He passed away last week at the age of 82.
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
The commercial we heard there is from the mid-1960s. Critics described Foley's game as quote, "sex in a box." But the inventor said the game is meant to break the ice by getting party guests out of their shoes and down onto the floor.
GREENE: Now Chuck Foley also made his mark with the invention of the hand launched helicopter and soft tipped darts. He told The New York Times that he was quote, "born with a gift. Ideas just popped into my head."
MONTAGNE: Chuck Foley proved to be invented at an early age. At 18, he made tri-colored taillights for his car - green, orange and red. It was such impressive handiwork, even the cop who pulled him over congratulated him on the idea.
GREENE: I wonder if he still got a ticket.
(LAUGHTER)
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TWIST AND SHOUT")
MONTAGNE: And that's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.
GREENE: And I'm David Greene.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TWIST AND SHOUT") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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