Many years ago, a company called the Frisbie Baking Company made pies. The pies were sold to colleges and universities. After the students ate the pies, they found something interesting. There was a metal plate at the bottom of each pie, and the students realized that they could throw these plates to each other. Soon it became a game that students liked to play. There were no rules at first. The students just enjoyed throwing and catching the metal discs.
In Los Angeles in 1948, a man named Walter Morrison invented a plastic disc similar to the pie plates. In fact, he called it a Frisbie. It could fly farther than the metal pie plates. It was also easier to throw the plastic Frisbie directly to another player. In 1956, Morrison sold his invention. He received more than a million dollars.
The new owners of the flying disc were the Wham-O toy company. At first, they called it a "Pluto Platter" because it looked like something from outer space. But the new owners liked the name Frisbie, and they learned that the Frisbie Baking Company went out of business. Wham-O decided to call the new product a Frisbee.
Frisbees became more and more popular. First, they were mainly fun for children. Later, two unusual new games were invented that used Frisbees.
The first new sport was called Ultimate Frisbee. It is played by two teams. In many ways the game is like soccer. But there are two unusual rules. One rule is that the person who is holding the Frisbee is not allowed to walk or run. When they have the Frisbee, they must stand still. The second rule is that the Frisbee must not touch the ground. If it lands on the ground, then the other team gets a turn. In the United States, some high schools and universities have Ultimate Frisbee teams. There is even a national championship!
Another unusual game with Frisbees is called Disc Golf. This game is played by individuals. Players try to go from one end of a course to the other. There are several holes. Unlike on a real golf course, the holes are above the ground. They may be poles or baskets. Each player tries to throw the Frisbee into each hole on the course. The player with the smallest number of throws is the winner.
Today more than two million people play Disc Golf. More than five million people play Ultimate Frisbee. The cooks at the Frisbie Baking Company never imagined the unusual games that came from their old metal pie plates.