July 18, 2018 · Annie Grossman
8 things you didn't know about the Kong
Here are some little-known facts about the most famous "work to eat" toy of the last four decades: The Kong
We love work-to-eat toys at School For The Dogs. Not familiar with this kind of dog toy? You’ve probably heard of the first one that was big on the scene: The Kong. Here are eight things you didn’t know about this iconic dog toy.
…were developed in the 1970s by a 25-year-old Colorado auto mechanic named Joe Markham who was trying to get his dog, Fritz, a retired police dog, to stop chewing on rocks.
…have a design based on a rubber suspension part from a VW bus. Markham’s dog enjoyed chewing on various car parts he found in the garage, but was specially interested in a bulbous, hollow black part he found.
…were initially shunned by all the pet stores Markham approached to carry it. Nevertheless, he poured all his money into a commercial saying that it was “Available at your favorite pet shop,” in the hopes that shops would want to stuck it if they got a lot of calls from people asking for it.
Note: This post originally linked to products at School For The Dogs’ online store, StoreForTheDogs.com, which closed in 2024. Those links have been switched to Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something through them. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.