Name Game #17: Name That Brand

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The Name Game has stumped even the savviest brand experts. See if you can guess the famous company or product name described in each game below.

5 clues. 1 famous brand name. 0 shame in defeat.

Game #17: Name That Brand

  • Start with a baked-goods container
  • Add a few procrastinating Yalies
  • Mix with the ultimate tool
  • Voila “The Pluto Platter”
  • And a canine catch

Click through for the answer…

Answer #17: Frisbee

William Russell Frisbie managed a small bakery in Connecticut in the late 1800s. His pies were extremely popular, and soon he established the Frisbie Pie Company. Before long, he discovered that the pie tins’ lids had an aerodynamic quality that allowed them to glide through the air (Clue #1). In the 1920s, Frisbie pies were especially popular at nearby Yale University. Dorms were filled with the empty tins, which undergraduate procrastinators enjoyed sailing through the air (Clue #2). Since the tins were made of metal and therefore potentially dangerous, the students would yell “Frisbie” to alert the recipient of the incoming tin. Wham-O toy company started manufacturing plastic disks in the late 1950s and initially called them Pluto Platters to avoid trademark issues surrounding the Frisbie Pie Company (Clue #4). After the pie company went out of business, Wham-O reverted back to calling the disks “Frisbees” (with a slightly altered spelling). In the 1960s, the game of Ultimate sprouted up on many college campuses (Clue #3). The game, based loosely on American football, uses Frisbees in a fast-paced contest between two teams of seven. And of course, man’s best friend is famous for leaping high in the air to catch a soaring Frisbee (Clue #5). (Source: “From Altoids to Zima” by Evan Morris.)

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