Walter Frederick Morrison, Frisbee Inventor, Dies at 90

(Feb. 12) – The man credited with inventing the Frisbee, one of the world's most popular toys, has died at his home in Utah at the age of 90.

Walter Frederick Morrison suffered from cancer, and "old age caught up with him," his son, Walt, told The Associated Press.

According to Phil Kennedy, who co-wrote a book with Morrison in 2001, the idea for the toy came to Morrison after he and his future wife, Lu, tossed a metal cake pan on the beach in California.

The inventor of the Frisbee, Walter Frederick Morrison, in 1957.

Wormhole Publishers, AP

Walter Frederick Morrison grips a Frisbee in a 1957 publicity photo. He originally named the toy the Pluto Platter.

After making some refinements, Morrison began selling it as the Pluto Platter at local fairs in 1948. He sold the rights to the toy in 1957 to Wham-O Inc., which renamed it the Frisbee.

"It's remarkable. That simple little toy has gone from the dusty cow towns of Utah to public parks and places in every major city of the world," Utah House Rep. Kay McIff, an attorney who represented Morrison in a royalties case, said today in an interview with AOL News. "It was a remarkable spread of a simple device. Who in the world hasn't had or seen one of them? I'm sure it's in houses all over the world."

More than 200 million of the aerodynamic plastic discs are believed to have been sold.

Wham-O's official Web site paid tribute to Morrison by his nickname Fred, wishing him "Smooth flights, Fred!"

Morrison is survived by three children. A memorial service is planned for Saturday at the Cowboy Corral in Elsinore, Utah.

"He was a nice guy," Walt Morrison told the AP. "He helped a lot of people. He was an entrepreneur. He was always looking for something to do."