Metal is usually silver but it does come in other colors. You can also paint your own, it look lovely in rooms but it puts a small damper on the performance. There are plastic ones also, they usually come in neon colors and nice to look at, but in my opinion do not perform as well as the metal. They also come in smaller sizes of metal and plastic, you find those more often at fairs and other prize winning places. But I would not suggest buying a smaller one, they do not work very well at all.
Every household needs a slinky, it is a necessity.
It is like the 'Star Wars' Trilogy, every house needs one. Regrettably, many Slinkies are thrown into junk closets never to be seen again or to be found only to late, the slinky tangled beyond anyone's Slinky repairing knowledge. This must be stopped and the slinky must be used and loved like a house hold pet. Go out and buy a quality Slinky today. Yes, I didn't know a person could write this much about a slinky either.