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Meet the American who launched the Frisbee, Fred Morrison, World War II combat pilot and POW
Fred Morrison launched a leisure lifestyle with his fantastic plastic flying saucer.
His contribution to recreation all over the globe gained air only after he dodged death by piloting fighter-bombers in the skies over Europe in World War II.
Morrison, a Southern California beach boy, first called his spinning discs Flyin’ Cake Pans and then Whirlo-Way. It’s known today as the Frisbee.
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“It was an instant phenomenon,” Tristan Lin, brand director for Wham-O, told Fox News Digital.
“Before you knew it, every college kid in America was playing Frisbee.”
Walter Frederick Morrison, who invented the Frisbee, is shown promoting his Pluto Platters. They were the forerunner of the Frisbee. (Connecticut State Library/Public Domain)
Wham-O, based in California, popularized the hula-hoop, super ball and Morrison’s Frisbee, among other whimsical innovations.
The genius of the Frisbee “is its simplicity,” said Lin.
“It was an instant phenomenon.”
Morrison was actually inspired by the easy-as-pie act of slinging baking pans through the air, a common recreational activity before his Frisbee took flight.
“The Frisbee started off as nothing more than a container that carried pies,” reported the University of Southern California online engineering publication Illumin Magazine, which analyzed the physics of the flying disc.
Border collie Emma catches a Frisbee in the “Freestyle Flying Disc” competition during the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge at Huntington Beach, California, June 8, 2018. (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
“It eventually became an immensely popular and internationally recognized toy.”
The Frisbee proved to be so much more than just a plastic plaything. It’s an icon of a confident, optimistic, victorious United States.
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“The Frisbee screams America to me,” said Wham-O’s Lin. “It screams patriotism. It’s a symbol of American culture and creativity and a laid-back, playful but competitive United States.”
Something motivated America’s war heroes to contribute happiness to America after the horror of war.
The Frisbee proved to be so much more than just a plastic plaything. It’s an icon of a confident, optimistic, victorious United States. (iStock)
Morrison’s story is hauntingly mirrored by another combat hero pilot: Fredric Arnold, the American who invented the folding beach chair.
Airborne kick the can
Walter Frederick Morrison was born on Jan. 23, 1920 in rural Richfield, Utah.
His father, Dr. Walter F. Morrison, moved his optometry practice and his family to Los Angeles when the future toy titan was just 11 years old.
It was the Great Depression and even the most ordinary objects presented playtime opportunities. The Frisbee traces its roots to an airborne version of kick the can.
Four young friends jump for a Frisbee in Lake Erie on July 28, 2015, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Angelo Merendino/Corbis via Getty Images)
“The Frisbee story starts in college,” writes the National Museum of Play, which inducted the plastic surf-and-sand flying disc into its Toy Hall of Fame in 1988.
“Late 19th-century students at Yale and other New England universities played catch with pie plates … made by the nearby Frisbie Baking Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut. They yelled ‘Frisbie!’ to warn passersby away from the spinning discs.”
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The campus tradition gained air on a sunny SoCal beach in 1937.
Teenage Morrison, according to an often told industry tale, was tossing a 5-cent cake pan back and forth with his girlfriend Lucille when approached by another sunbum. The man offered Morrison 25 cents for the pan.
Model, author and actress Rachel McCord is seen with a Frisbee on July 30, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. (TSM/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
The couple instantly realized the profit potential.
“Soon ‘Flyinʼ Cake Pans’ were available at beaches and parks all over L.A.,” wrote Phil Kennedy in an online account of Morrison’s life story.
Kennedy co-authored the 2006 book “Flat Flip Flies Straight!: True Origins of the Frisbee,” with the inventor himself.
The couple instantly realized the profit potential.
Sales of discs “funded dates and eventually a wedding ring. Fred and Lu got joined.”
And then they got separated by war. Morrison joined the Army Air Force, piloting P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers in World War II.
“The P-47 was a behemoth,” writes the National World War II Museum. The 5-ton warplane, it notes, was “loaded with 3 tons of fuel, bombs and ammunition.”
The Republic P-47B Thunderbolt. Believed to be fastest fighters flown during World War II. (Getty Images)
He survived 58 nerve-breaking missions when his string of skill and luck ran out.
He was shot down in Italy and captured by the Germans.
“He was held as a POW for over a month, but he survived,” The Saturday Evening Post wrote in a 2021 Frisbee chronicle.
“After the war ended and he returned home, Morrison’s thoughts turned back to his homemade flyer.”
Luck arrives from out of space
The mechanics of flinging a Frisbee were familiar to humanity for millennia.
“Humans have been tossing flat, round objects since time immemorial – first, out of curiosity to watch something remain airborne in defiance of gravity and because it was fun,” wrote Morrison co-author Kennedy.
In Ancient Greece, the sport of discus throwing is shown. Colored engraving by Heinrich Leutemann (1824-1905). (Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis via Getty Images)
He added, “Later, it was discovered that flying objects could also be used as weapons, which led to showing off feats of skill, and organized sporting events, such as hurling the discus at the early Greek Olympics.”
Morrison put an entrepreneurial post-World War II American spin on the age-old spiraling missile. He harvested wealth from leisure.
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Ever since his 1937 epiphany, Morrison had gained intense wisdom studying the science of soaring at Uncle Sam’s school of survival.
“His flying experience gave him new insights [into] the aerodynamics of flight … and, once out of the service, a new inspiration to pick up where he had left off,” wrote Kennedy.
Morrison’s first new disc in 1946, the pressed metal Whirlo-Way, was soon replaced with a lightweight disc made possible by advances in plastics.
Jesse Marcel, head intelligence officer, who initially investigated and recovered some of the debris from the Roswell UFO site, is shown above. Corsicana Daily Sun on July 9, 1947. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Unforeseen fortune also arrived from out of space – or did it?
“It’s hard to imagine today, but in 1946 there were no flying saucers … at least by that name,” reported the Flying Disc Museum, a repository of Frisbee history and lore in Phoenix, Arizona.
“It’s a symbol of American culture and creativity and a laid-back, playful but competitive United States.”
Pilot Ken Arnold claimed to see a flying object in Washington state in June 1947. Roswell, New Mexico became the center of UFO conspiracies that same summer.
America’s emerging mass media dubbed the aerial phenomenon “flying saucers.”
The nation’s also-emerging consumer culture was obsessed by the flying discs, portrayed in popular culture to look much like Morrison’s Whirlo-Way.
He renamed an improved version the Flyin-Saucer, and then, with a breakthrough new design in 1955, the Pluto Platter.
UFOs portrayed as flying saucers became a pop-culture phenomenon after World War II. (iStock)
After business fits and starts, the war hero celebrated his 37th birthday on Jan. 23, 1957, by inking a deal with Wham-0, a toy-marketing dynamo.
Wham-O renamed it the Frisbee, reportedly inspired by the pans from Frisbie Baking Co. that Yale students tossed around the Connecticut campus.
Morrison said he “hated” the name. Then the royalties arrived.
Wham-O reportedly sold 100 million Frisbees by the mid-1960s.
‘Obvious connection’ with another WWII pilot, inventor
Walter Frederick “Fred” Morrison died on Feb. 9, 2010 at his home in Monroe, Utah, after battling cancer and Father Time. He was 90 years old.
He made international headlines when he passed away.
Frisbee inventor Fred Morrison with an unnamed woman during a publicity shoot for the Wham-O Frisbee. From “The Wham-O Superbook: 70 Years of Fun” by Tim Walsh. (Tim Walsh/Wham-O)
“That simple little toy has permeated every continent in every country, as many homes have Frisbees as any other device ever invented,” Morrison’s attorney, Kay McIff, told The Associated Press in an obituary published around the world.
“How would you get through your youth without learning to throw a Frisbee?”
The Pluto Platter was an early version of the Frisbee by inventor Fred Morrison. The name capitalized on the nation’s obsession with UFOs after World War II. The mysterious objects were dubbed flying saucers in popular culture and portrayed to look much like Morrison’s flying discs. From “The Wham-O Superbook: 70 Years of Fun” by Tim Walsh. (Tim Walsh/Wham-O)
Morrison’s wartime and postwar story echoes with haunting similarity that of another architect of the postwar American lifestyle: Frederic Arnold, the American who invented the folding beach chair.
Both were named Fred. Both flew dual-purpose pursuit planes, Arnold a P-38. Both miraculously survived 50 or more terrifying combat missions. Both were shot down and sent to German POW camps.
To read more stories in this unique “Meet the American Who…” series from Fox News Digital, click here.
Fred Morrison and Fred Arnold even shared the same birthday. Frisbee Fred was born on Jan. 23, 1920. Folding Chair Fred was born on Jan. 23, 1922.
Fred Morrison, shown in the center photo, first conceived of a flying disc for recreation during the Great Depression. It became a reality after he flew 58 combat missions in World War II. (TSM/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Tim Walsh/Wham-O; MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Both men conceived their inventions at the beach – with the women they married.
“There is an obvious connection between the two men,” Marc Arnold said of his dad, and of Morrison, after Fox News Digital shared the similarities between the two men.
Team Xi’an Physical Education University V7 (in blue shirt) competes against Team Xi’an Terra-Cotta Warriors-RJM in the opener of the China’s first National Ultimate Frisbee League on August 6, 2022. (Zhang Yichen/China News Service via Getty Images)
“I think after the horrors of war they left behind, they sought to build a new reality. I think after surviving all that carnage they thought, What’s the point of living if there aren’t also on the other end a spectrum of joyous opportunities?”
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The U.S. military identified a Minnesota Marine stationed in Southern California who went missing off San Diego last week, and confirmed his death.
Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco was declared deceased Saturday. It is believed he was lost at sea after a training exercise.
“On behalf of the Marines and sailors of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Lance Cpl. Ortiz Canseco,” Col. Richard Alvarez, the commanding officer of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said in a statement.
Ortiz Canseco was reported missing from the amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage early Thursday morning. His disappearance resulted in an extensive search and rescue operation, with efforts beginning around 1:20 a.m. Thursday.
The search spanned roughly 2,400 square miles and involved officials from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force who used three surface ships and 12 aircraft, according to the military.
The Marine went missing during a training operation involving the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group.
After nearly two full days of searching, the Navy transitioned to recovery operations.
“He earned the title of United States Marine and served his country with honor and commitment,” Alvarez said. “We mourn alongside his family, and we remain committed to bringing him home.”
This incident marks the second time in recent weeks that the U.S. military has searched for missing service members.
The remains of two Army soldiers who went missing while off duty from military exercises in Morocco were recovered in May, according to the Army.
Officials did not initially identify Ortiz Canseco on Thursday or disclose the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, saying his family needed to be notified first.
His death continues to be under investigation.
Ortiz Canseco enlisted in the Marine Corps in April 2023 and reported for training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
His individual awards include the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.
Alaska transportation officials on Tuesday identified the likely winner of a bidding process for building a $350 million vessel to replace the state’s 62-year-old Tustumena ferry.
The M/V Tustumena has been connecting communities along the Aleutian chain to Southcentral Alaska since 1964. Alaska leaders for years have been discussing plans to replace the ferry with a newer vessel.
But the process of constructing a new ferry has been repeatedly delayed and hampered amid shifts in state and federal administration priorities.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was instrumental in adding funding to a bipartisan federal infrastructure bill in 2021 to build new ferries for Alaska. Funding from that bill, signed into law by former President Joe Biden, will be the primary way the state plans to pay for the new vessel.
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said Tuesday that it is nearing the conclusion of a monthslong bidding process, and had identified a Louisiana-based shipbuilder to construct the new ferry at a cost of just under $350 million.
That is an increase from 2021, when Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced a plan to replace the Tustumena by 2027 at a cost of up to $250 million. Both the price tag and the timeline have since been altered. The vessel is not expected to be complete until 2029, according to the latest plan.
In a written statement, Dunleavy said Tuesday that replacing the Tustumena reflects his administration’s “commitment to rebuilding this critical transportation network.”
During Dunleavy’s eight-year tenure, ridership and state revenue from the Alaska Marine Highway System have seen significant decline, with an aging fleet and difficulty in recruiting and retaining workers.
After several false starts, the state began seeking bids for the construction of the Tustumena replacement in January. The bidding process was initially intended to conclude in May, but was extended to provide more time for bidders to complete their proposals, according to state officials.
The department did not share how many bids it had received or details on the other bids.
The requirements for the new vessel include a 330-foot-long ship with a range of 4,000 nautical miles, and a capacity of 250 passengers and 28 crew plus 58 vehicles. That would be larger than the current vessel, which has the capacity to carry 160 passengers and up to 34, 20-foot vehicles.
Transportation officials said Tuesday that Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, the Louisiana-based shipbuilder, has a 14-day window to submit all remaining requirement documentation. The award won’t be formalized until that process is complete.
Thoma-Sea recently completed work on the Arctic Fjord, a Seattle-based factory trawler operating in the Bering Sea. The Alaska transportation department stated that the project demonstrates the company’s “ability to successfully deliver complex vessels designed for Alaska’s demanding operating environment.”
The ferry system’s Marine Director Craig Tornga said in a statement that the step toward constructing the Tustumena replacement vessel “represents more than a new ship — it represents renewed confidence in the future of the Alaska Marine Highway System.”
“The replacement vessel will provide improved reliability, enhanced safety, increased operational flexibility, and modern efficient systems that will better serve our passengers, crews, and the communities that depend on us. We look forward to working with the men and women of Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors to deliver a high-performance vessel,” Tornga said in a statement.
The Pocket Fire burning north of Sedona and sending smoke and ash into Flagstaff has been tricky for firefighters to access because of the steep and narrow terrain through canyons and along cliffsides. These same landscape features mean that many others watching the fire’s rapid progress from afar have worried with little information about which of their favorite hiking trails and scenic viewpoints near Oak Creek Canyon may not look the same again in their lifetimes.
On June 30, the fire perimeter had exceeded 15,000 acres after growing about 4,000 acres overnight. This expansion took the shape of a finger jutting to the west from near the southern edge of the fire while the northern edge broadened along Forest Service Road 9042, where firefighter crews worked to hold it.
For residents of Kachina Village, the community most in the path of the fire’s recent growth and one known to be particularly vulnerable to fire, that northern progress being redirected east and west along the firebreak road was something to celebrate.
For others, fears and questions about singed trails, camping spots, homes and businesses remain.
What is clear is that parts of the distant edge of the popular West Fork trail, which starts at West Fork Trailhead off of U.S. 89A through Oak Creek Canyon and follows West Fork Oak Creek as it twists and turns between stunning red rock canyon walls, are within the Pocket Fire’s active perimeter. The popular panoramic vista from the “Edge of the World” viewpoint in East Pocket off Forest Road 231 was also enveloped by the fire in its early days.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean these areas are unrecoverable as scenic and beloved recreation spots. Wildfires frequently burn discontinuously through forested landscapes, as embers send out new sparks to distant forest patches. So the damage severity from the Pocket Fire in many places is not yet known.
After the Dragon Bravo fire burned 150,000 acres near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in 2025, a Burn Area Emergency Response team concluded months later that only 1% of the 71,000 park-managed acres within the perimeter showed evidence of a “high severity” burn. The rest had better odds of ecological recovery.
To prevent a need for too much of that in one of the Sedona area’s most treasured spots, though, crews on the Pocket Fire have worked out a “really solid plan to protect all of our identified values and to keep fire out of the bottom of Oak Creek Canyon,” said operations section chief trainee Clyde England of the Southwest Incident Management Team in his morning briefing about the fire on June 30.
England emphasized that crews were focused on keeping the fire out of the West Fork drainage, by conducting backburning efforts and building a buffer on the east side, while limiting progress north toward Kachina Village. They are also working with the Arizona Department of Transportation to remove hazard trees along the roadway, so there is “one less risk we have to worry about” if the fire does jump down into Oak Creek Canyon.
“I want to reiterate that the threat component is still there, as fire is coming down into West Fork,” England said. “There is still a potential for the fire to find some fuels and get some alignment with the winds out of the canyon. We don’t anticipate it. That’s why we still got a big presence up there, just in case some unforeseen event pushes some fire out up on the ridge into that (eastern) corner.”
Another area the team is watching is along the southern edge of the fire in Dry Creek near Bear Sign Canyon, the site of a popular 7-mile hiking trail that passes through “a carpet of ferns with views of white Coconino sandstone cliffs,” according to a nearby business offering lodging for hikers. England said the team has been able to “insert people” into that area over the past few days to build hand lines and work with helicopters on bucket drops to help prevent the fire from spreading to the Seven Canyons area and Enchantment Golf Resort.
The historic Fernow Cabin, a former U.S. Forest Service guard station, is also safe so far, England said, thanks to defensive firing by crews over the weekend that will continue for a few more days to keep the structure intact.
On the northwest edge of the fire, a containment line along Forest Service road 231 is “looking really good,” England said, with a recent expansion of the fire map there reflecting defensive fire efforts rather than wildfire growth. That effort will help protect the power lines to communities in Oak Creek from damage. Fire retardant drops and reinforced dozer and hand lines have helped prevent the fire from progressing over the 536 or 535 roads.
“If we can get it down in this canyon, use the weather patterns, the fuels, the rocky terrain to our advantage, we can find a way to choke that out,” England said. “So our ops are all looking good, our confidence is there.”
Addressing the southwestern corner of the Pocket Fire perimeter, England struck a more somber tone, acknowledging expansion of flames across Round Top Mountain toward Secret Canyon.
That’s the reality of wildfire in the American Southwest, scientists say, in an age of the drying and warming influences of climate change combined with ever-expanding human development and juxtaposed against federal funding cuts.
“The anticipation is that some of this fire will be on the landscape for a while,” he said. “There’s just no access and no way to get folks into that country. You might see that fire and that smoke for a while.”
Joan Meiners is the climate news and storytelling reporter at The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Send tips or questions to joan.meiners@arizonarepublic.com or follow her work on Instagram at @joan_bikes_arizona.
Have a news tip? Contact The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com at newstips@arizonarepublic.com.
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