Do you have a creative geekling between the ages of 6 and 17? If so, then you should encourage them to design their own toy! The 60th annual Wham-O Kid Inventor Contest is accepting submissions through the end of March.

For the love of Pete, just don't submit something as sadistic as Wham-O's Willy Waterbug (pictured right). I've already discussed how that contraption scarred me for life.

Wham-O is also the company that brought us the Frisbee, the hula hoop and the Slip 'N Slide. Hey, those first two are great, but the Slip 'N Slide? C'mon, that's just a wet piece of garbage bag. I know your kid can come up with something better than that!

The grand prize for the Kid Inventor Contest is $2000 and the toy might be produced by Wham-O. For more information about the competition, including a full list of the rules, go here.


Young Inventor Factoids:

• Louis Braille created the Braille reading system at age 15.
  
• George Nissen invented the trampoline at age 16.
• Robert Heft designed the current American flag at age 17.
• Chester Greenwood developed earmuffs at age 17.