This is easily the most fun slinky on Amazon: My child loves it almost as much as I do! 

I don't care who you are, young or old, a slinky remains the ultimate fidget toy that brings out the smiles, competitive nature and frustration in equal measure - if you get the right one! 

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Science, voodoo, magic? I don't know what exactly makes a shiny spring walk down stairs, but whatever it is it's glorious! I can't count how many times in my 40-odd years I've desired a slinkyl I've seen them, I've watched them, but I've never actually taken the plunge and owned one - now it may be my finest 2024 decision, and my daughter LOVES it too!

It's not tchnically the first slinky I've acquired, in fact it's technically not a slinky at all - trademarks etc. Over the years my 4-year-old has picked up a couple of cheapo plastic versions of varying colours and sizes, and I once made the same mistake myself, but they just don't work. The cheap ones are easy to pull out of shape and, in my experience, they're more likely to roll to the end of the stairs than walk. Thankfully, this slinky (knock-off) is a heavy duty metal number (remember to select the metal version for general use and plastic for tricks, which I'll talk about later), with reliable elasticity and (if you have the right technique) the legs to travel the distance! 

A great slinky will make it to the bottom - if you know how!

Billed on-site as the 'KandyToys SupeRetro Metal Magic Spring | Kids Slinky Toy', this pleasingly weighted spring is 7cm in diameter and a coiled height of 7cm and features a 4.3-star rating on Amazon. Surprisingly, a lot of those reviews are people who bought it to deter squirrels from eating bird food. I reckon the squirrels spend as much time trying to get it to 'walk' as I do - sounds legit! It's advertised as 'appropriate for ages 6+', but also safe from 36 months - my daughter has been playing with ours since she was three, and I'm 43, so...

Obviously, apart from writing about the hours of fun we've both had trying to get it to do the stairs thing - perfect parent and child bonding - and the ultra-compeitive nature it's brought out in me while the rest of the family are out of the house, there isn't much to write about a spring! So, instead of stuffing in loads more things about how great a lump of stretchy metal is, let's talk tricks! 

HOW DO YOU MAKE A SLINKY GO DOWNSTAIRS?

I'm conscious that I've said stairs so many times now that Google will think I'm trying to sell garage conversions, so in stead of reeling off the amount of times I've tried and failed to lob this thing down the well in a series of decreasingly eloquent ways, I'll share a video of my efforts... followed by a video of someone else doing it the right way! 

HOW DO YOU DO SLINKY TRICKS?

It's not all stairs and tears in slinky world though. If your child - or you, no judgement here - is a bit older there are plenty of tricks (known as slinky manipulation if you're serious about this) you can do. You've probably seen amazing videos on social media of the guy who walks around festivals spreading love and slinky tricks, booping people for points. It's a fun, inoffensive way to spend a few hours in the garden with a rewarding outcome if you stick with it. Just check out @slinkyjosh below. However, if this is something you want to explore, you'll need to opt for a plastic slinky, and a very specific one at that! Slinky Josh has his own range that you should check out - even though it's not on my affiliate deals!!