I first learned in your post that this toy is called “Slinky”. I had it in my house as a child and don't know where it came from. I didn't even know that it was meant to be played with by letting it walk on stairs, etc. Before I knew it, it was tangled and clumped up in a toy box 😂

part of being a parent is this weird form of time travel.

I totally agree with this😉