Kong (sometimes KONG) is popular line of dog toys introduced in 1976. The classic Kong resembles a snowman-like structure of three balls pushed together. Kongs also come in several variations for dogs of different ages and sizes. Made of rubber, they are hollow in the middle, and can be stuffed with treats for the dog to get out.
They come in 4 rubber types; red for average chewers, pink or blue for puppies, purple for seniors, and black for tough chewers. Other than the typical snowman-like Kongs, Kong has also made a very successful line of dental chews, balls, tug toys, Frisbees, and various interactive toys and accessories.
Origin
The toys are produced by the Kong Company of Colorado. The company owner, Joe Markham, invented the Kong in the 1970s, when he noticed his German shepherd Fritz damaging his teeth by chewing rocks. He found that Fritz enjoyed chewing on a hard rubber Volkswagen Bus suspension device, and spent about six years experimenting with different compounds to produce a chew toy of similar size and shape that he could sell to pet owners. Originally, Markham sold most of his products to Israel, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom, but the Kong began gaining popularity in the United States in the mid-1980s, and have remained popular there ever since. The 2005 book Planet Dog describes the Kong as “possibly the best-known dog toy in the world”.
Nice piece you have written on the Kong Toys you’ve pretty much covered everything especially the history which was pretty interesting, my two dogs love the fact that kongs can be filled with goodies.
A idea that maybe some of your readers might like, is I fill my kongs with the dogs biscuit treats and cap off the end with pate.
This gives the dog more interest in playing with it, if you get the mixture right it will keep them happy for hours. I believe you can buy a branded mixture too… but we just make our own.