Product designs sometimes take inspiration from the places we expect the least. Moments of genius are driven by finding solutions to unique problems, and as it turns out, that’s exactly how we ended up with KONG. The beefy, durable dog chew toy is modeled after a Volkswagen Bus part.
Markham needed a dog for security, but he unexpectedly got a chew-crazy pet.Volkswagen
KONG’s inventor, Joe Markham, adopted a German Shepherd to help with security at his auto repair shop in downtown Denver, CO. The dog, while a great addition to the shop, came with a few bad habits. The dog’s most worrisome hobby was chewing, which he would do with almost anything he could find, especially rocks. As you might imagine, chewing on rocks is not good for the dog’s teeth. Markham needed a durable chew toy, but nothing seemed to work, from animal bones to radiator hoses.
The solution came from an unlikely place: While working on a 1960sVW Type 2 Bus, Markham discovered that the rubber axle stop made a perfect chew toy. The dog had gotten ahold of the rubber stop, and while he was chewing viciously, neither the stop nor his teeth were damaged.
The discovery led Markham to spend the next six years experimenting with various rubbers, sizes, and shapes for his dog toy. After working with rubber experts in Germany, the design was finalized and the KONG was born. The shape for the toy ended up being very close to that of the axle stop. The funky, bulbous design meant that the toy wouldn’t bounce like a ball, and would instead flop around randomly, which is similar to the way that small animals run away from predators.
The axle stop from a VW Bus inspired KONG’s shape.Volkswagen
It’s worth noting that you should not intentionally let your dog chew on any part of your vehicle. Even unused automotive parts can contain chemicals and other harmful materials that could make your dog sick or worse. This isn’t a pitch to buy a KONG, just a warning about the hazards of car parts being used as dog toys.
