Helen Herrick Malsed (1910 – November 13, 1998) was an American toy inventor.
She dropped out of Whitman College due to her family's finances, then went on to study advertising in San Francisco.
[3][4] Malsed received royalties of $60,000 to $70,000 annually for 17 years on her patent for the Slinky pull-toy idea, but never visited the plant.
[3][5] Its predecessor was pop bead jewelry which was popular at the time, but were choking hazards for children.
Malsed's idea enlarged it into brightly colored beads for kids.