The Fridge, by William "Refridgerator" Perry, was released in early 1987 as a mail-order offer from Hasbro Direct. It sold for $79.95. After his first run, Perry returned in 1990 at the age of 24. This time he was awarded a gold medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for his work on refrigeration technology. His second run ended in 1996, when he died in a car accident near Lake Tahoe, Nevada. He was only 35 years old. Among his many inventions, Perry is best known for his role in the development of the nuclear bomb during his tenure at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He was one of the few civilians allowed into this highly classified program and was given access to information about our nation's first atomic weapons. After leaving Los Alamos, he started his own company, which produced several successful products before it failed several years later. Hasbro bought the rights to produce Perry's figure in 2007. They have done so successfully each year since his death in 1996 with no signs of stopping now that he has become a legendary toy maker.