Flat Flip Flies Straight (new Fred Morrison book)

[Morgan Wright]

I have 2 questions:

1. Fred says Pipco doesn't stand for Partners In Plastic, but that's what Franscioni said it did. Is is possible that Morrison just forgot, from 40 years of drinking? Fred says it stood for "It's a pip" well that doesn't sound likely, what a dumb reason to name it Pipco. Fred's book says Franscioni did all the legwork in getting the office where Pipco was, and handled all the paperwork, and I bet a million that he was the one who came up with pipco, and Fred never even knew what it stood for, until he came up with "It's a pip" after the fact.

2. Fred says Franscioni never stood over a water heater trying to melt a sheet of plastic into a frisbee. The legend is that Franscioni did this in his basement. Fred says it never happened because he didn't have a water heater in HIS basement (he says garage, and his description of how he built his house makes me think Fred never had a basement). Is it possible that Franscioni did this in his basement when Fred was not around? I mean, I doubt Fred Morrison was at Franscionis house 24 / 7. I bet a million this story is true and Fred just didn't know about it.

That's all.

[Phil Kennedy]

1. I've never encountered ANY reference in Franscioni's OWN words what he thought PIPCO stood for. He only mentions the company's name as PIPCO. In 1948 advertising sloganeering was in its infancy and people DID come up with some pretty silly names and sayings...especially a couple of rank amateur marketeers like Warren & Fred. Legwork? Fred says "WE" all throughout the relavent account.

2. The quote about "melting sheets of plastic over a waterheater" came fairly recently (1997) from Coszette Eneix, Franscioni's daughter, who was about four years old in 1948. Franscioni never mentioned "melting sheets of plastic over his waterheater"...at least that I've come across. Actually it sounds like Coszette got the story mixed-up with Bill Robes's published accounts of his early experiements in 1953 when he was developing early versions of the Space Saucer by forming sheets of plastic on a heated up-side-down washing machine basket. The Space Saucer WAS made from sheets of warmed, hand-formed plastic before they were later molded. That's well known. In any event, Fred simply says he didn't know where he (Franscioni) had his water heater (it was Jeff McMahon who misquoted Coszette as to where it was), and that "if it happened, he (Fred) wasn't there." That's pretty generous. Before I accepted that the event actually even happened, I'd want to find out 1. If there were water heaters available in the SLO area that could have had their tops exposed (they're usually heavily insulated to keep the heat in); 2. That of those that could be easily disassembled at least one had a domed-top of suitable shape and size; 3.That there was a plastic available in 1948 that came in thin sheets and had a softening/melting point at or below 140 degrees F (about the upper limit of what you'd want to set your water heater to).

I've found that legends are not at all reliable evidence...they need to be challenged thorough critical research. Unfortunately, if a falsehood gets repeated long enough, most people start to believe it.

[Morgan Wright]

Legwork, yes. In the book, Fred says he never saw any mail at the PIPCO office and assumed that if there had been any mail, Warren must have answered it. Since Fred had no money and Warren paid all the bills, (and most mail you get is bills when you are in business), I assume Warren did all the paperwork and filled out all the forms. This mail probably included a return address, with a business name, and telling people the name of the business and (possibly) what it means.

The daughter was 4 in 1948. Warren lived to 1974, when the daughter was 30. People talk. Parents talk to kids. I have every detail of my fathers exploits as a lumberjack, which he was doing in 1948, 7 years before I was born. He's told the same stories 100 times each, and to this day still tells them. If Warren told the story about the water heater only half that many times, that's 50 times, and the daughter might have caught it by then. But if Warren had any pride about how he helped invent the frisbee, which he certainly did, he might have told the story TWICE as many times, which is 200, easliy enough for the daughter to pick up. People brag. Especially fathers to kids. I mean, if I had invented the frisbee with Fred Morrison, I would have told the story maybe 1000 times. Imagine the ramifications on the daughter's young mind, hearing it 1000 times. It's amazing, the possiblilites. She probably dreamed about water heaters, and had hallucinations about giant round sheets of nascient frisbees flipping off water heaters like pancakes.

[Phil Kennedy]

I agreed to get involved in this project 3.5 years ago with one condition paramount—to expose as much of the True Story of the origin of the Frisbee...no matter where it lay. The actual written words of the principal players would speak for themselves. Speculation and opinions by EVERYBODY would be eliminated or at least exposed and downplayed for what they were...guesses...hunches...hearsay...lies.

I expect and actually HOPE this book will generate controversy. Traditions are comforting. Myths die hard. Some people will be left upset. I encourage any and all to come forth with new solid EVIDENCE (either for or against Flat Flip) that may linger out there in dark recesses. I promise to dissect, evaluate and apply it as rigorously and honestly as previous data and accounts that defined this book...and then, refine (or redefine) history in the next edition.

[Joseph Mason Proud, III]

look for a link soon on our website.................go
here to get your own copiesssss of this great new
book..........

[Phil Kennedy]

Thanks for the Lickluster announcement, Joe.

The link from the NEFA home page transports you to a SPECIAL NEFA OFFER where we're donating a portion of the sales back to our illustrious organization!

[Morgan Wright]

This is a fantastic book. Fred Morrison is a good writer, he makes it funny and snide, he has the writing style and attitude of a smarmy old drunk soldier who has been through 3 wars. (And he has...3 marriages!). He makes it funny and brings you there. I will never think the same again of the city of Bispo, 93401, the town where the frisbee was born. The stories of how he demonstrated the discs on an invisible wire, with the salesman's patter. This old Californicator makes it come alive.

[Morgan Wright]

I think there should be a plaque in front of Fred Morrison's 1948 house in Bispo where he invented it.

Phil, that would be the Holy Grail of your frisbee collection. Buy the house!!!!!!!

[Phil Kennedy]

The tent would be more affordable! (page 52)

[Shawn Kennedy]

I just know theres a black FS1 burried under the floorboards!

[Steve Guiliotis]

In today's news:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070616/ap_on_re_us/frisbee_s50th;_ylt=AiEN7.VoVKZe92ggJCBI0tnMWM0F

[Phil Kennedy]

Thanks for posting that article, Steve. I'll be interested to see how many papers pick up the story tomorrow.

In fairness to all, they didn't get one fact straight: Fred didn't "scrape up the money" needed to bring his Whirlo-Way design concept into production. Warren Franscioni—first Fred's boss and then his Pipco partner—offered to put up the money which he obtained through family loans.