Watching children play baseball inspired Mullany to create a new form of play that transformed his personal prospects in just a few years.
Vital Stats
Born August 1908 in Massachusetts
Died March 1990 in Connecticut
Early Career
In the early 1950s, Mullany’s car-polish business failed and he fell onto hard times.
Foul Ball
He was inspired to create a lightweight ball for play in 1953 after watching his son and friends unsuccessfully attempt to use a modified plastic golf ball for a game of baseball.
Batter Up
Through trial and error, Mullany created the perfect prototype and named it the “Wiffle Ball” after the term used for a batter striking out.
Home Run
Mullany initially sold the balls on consignment at a local restaurant. As sales took off, he began selling them from his car. He soon branched out into wooden bats to use with Wiffle Balls and created the game of Wiffle Ball inspired by the rules of baseball.
When Woolworth department store placed an order for Wiffle Ball games, a sales boom ensued and catapulted Mullany’s creation into the pop-culture lexicon.
Mullany formed Wiffle Ball, Inc. in 1954 and was granted a patent for his creation in 1957.
The company moved production to a Connecticut factory in 1959.
Legacy
The company Mullany created continues to operate from its original factory and is now run by his grandchildren.
Mullany’s Wiffle Ball was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong Museum in 2017.
