Meet Wayne From Canadian Inventor of the selfie stick CTV News

It’s a simple device that’s made worldwide headlines and attracting fans as well as reaction as its popularity spreads. But many photo admirers may not know that the first “selfie stick” was patented by a Canadian 10 years ago, long before the selfie bang.

Wayne told CTV’s Canada AM that he turned up with the idea to create a device to help take photos while he was on holiday with his daughter, Sage, in Italy.

Fromm invented his Quik Pod which is a hand-held telescopic monopod, in 2004 and was granted a patent for it the next year.

He accepts that, even though people have been climbing cameras on poles for years, and similar products have been patented in Japan in the 1980s, his invention was given the “novel device” label in 2005.

While users can now choose from a wide variety of selfie sticks, the inventor says his Quick Pod comes with unique features that the competitors don’t have, including a quick release, built in mirror, and high-quality materials.

Fromm said, “This is the iPhone of selfie sticks.”

But as the stick has grown in popularity it has also attracted some adverse reaction. Last week the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. joined an increasing list of galleries and museums banning selfie sticks.

The museum said the step was to protect visitors and objects.